Percy Jackson, Fall of Hecate
by lileaf2002
Summary: Hecate has fallen. The Mist is failing and Camp Half-Blood is in danger of being lost... forever. In order to protect their home, Percy and his friends must save the goddess by renewing belief in her amongst her oldest followers, the wizards. Set during TGOF and between HOO and TOA with some demigods introduced in TOA. Percabeth and Solangelo.
1. Chapter 1

Hope you like my new story. Please let me know if the plot is too vague - basically Hecate has disappeared and the only way to bring her back is by renewing the wizards. belief in her. I'm also looking for a new fanfic to read so please review with opinions of my story as well as recommendations. Enjoy!

Nico

Nico hit the ground running, sleet needling his skin where his t-shirt had ripped. Darkness ate at the edges of his vision. Had he made it? Exhausted from shadow-travelling halfway across the world, he let go of his friends' arms. His knees buckled, sending him sprawling forward into the mud.

He couldn't see but he could sense the others, ten in total. Someone was fading fast, _Annabeth…_ He couldn't help, couldn't move. Where were they? His fingers curled helplessly around the letter in his palm, the address was smudged by the rain but still faintly visible in the dim light…

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland.

Dumbledore

"Where did you find them?"

Madame Pomfrey's hands fluttered anxiously through the medicine cabinet, her apron freckled with blood. "Hagrid found them unconscious at the edge of the Forbidden Forest," she murmured, not taking her eyes off her patient, "He reckons they tried to apparate into the school, but the defences stopped them. Hagrid says they were armed, but he removed their weapons. The boy had a letter, I believe it's for you." She gestured at an envelope on the side.

The headmaster's brow furrowed as he peeled open the envelope, the handwriting strangely familiar. His gut twisted as he read the message, though the sender's name sent a shiver of recognition up his spine. If his old friend was right, this was only the beginning.

"Who are they, Albus?" The nurse questioned, flustered, "They're no older than the students but this one," she nodded at the patient she was tending to, a girl no older than seventeen, her blonde hair covering her pale face, "was riddled with poison when she arrived! She's stable now, but I almost lost her…"

"It's not who they are we must ask ourselves, my dear Madame Pomfrey," Behind his half moon glasses, Dumbledore's eyes glinted with thought, "but _what_ they are."

Percy

 _"_ _Annabeth!"_

 _"_ _Percy," Chiron was at his side in an instant, his expression grave, "you can still save her. Here, take this, find Nico and take as many campers as you can." Into Percy's hand, he pressed a letter, an address printed clearly across the front; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland. Scotland? But Annabeth was dying, if there was any chance that he could save her, he had to try._

 _He grabbed onto Leo's shirt as he rushed past, hands ablaze. His eyes widened as he stared down at the son of Poseidon's hand, slick with Annabeth's blood. "Get Nico," He croaked, he couldn't look at him, couldn't take his eyes off Annabeth._

 _"_ _Percy?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper. Half delirious from the poison, she played with the hem of his ruined t-shirt, eyes faraway. "Percy, I'm dying."_

 _"_ _No, you're not, please, Annabeth. Don't leave me," His voice broke, as he pleaded with her, "You promised."_

 _"_ _Percy, I -"_

"Percy!"

He jerked awake, his back arching. _Annabeth._ She clutched his hand, worriedly.

"You're awake!" She scanned his face, searchingly, "You started screaming."

"I – you're okay?"

She kissed him, softly. "I'm fine, Seaweed Brain."

His vision did a one-eighty as he struggled to sit up. He was in a room roughly the size of their dining pavilion, with beds lined up neatly against the whitewashed walls. He gagged on the scent of eucalyptus before he realised the whole room reeked of medicine, like the infirmary back at camp. _Camp_.

He had a vague memory of rounding up as many campers as possible, before ordering Nico to shadow-travel them to Chiron's address. It had seemed like a lot at the time, but barely half of the beds looked occupied. He counted ten others. The rest were safe, or…

 _No._ He couldn't think like that. Annabeth was alive, at least, her expression loaded with concern.

He frowned at her, "Will healed you?"

"No," the son of Apollo admitted, appearing at their side, "It shouldn't have been possible. Manticore poison – that's deadly. Percy, where are we? What happened?"

"Chiron sent us here to, uh, wherever here is. He gave me a letter, erm, Nico shadow-travelled."

"I know," Will scowled at the bed opposite Percy's where Nico's raven head was barely visible. "He hasn't woken up since."

Percy's heart was in his mouth as he asked, "Is-is he going to be okay?" Once again, he'd asked Nico to do the impossible. What if shadow-travelling across the world had drained him for good? Percy loved Annabeth but the thought of trading her life for Nico's made him feel sick, especially looking at Will, so clearly in love.

"Yeah," Will's face finally broke into a smile, "He'll be fine. He just needs rest."

"Percy," Annabeth's eyes gleamed with interest, "Nico shadow-travelled here so Chiron must have given you _something_ , an address or a photo. Where are we?"

"I'd be delighted to answer your question, young lady." A voice boomed. The doors opened and a man with silvery hair swept in, impressively. "But first, introductions; I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and you must be Chiron's demigods."

Will

Will yelped, "School of what?"

"Witchcraft and wizardry." The old man – Dumbledore – repeated, patiently. "My dear boy, my old friend Chiron has informed me of your world, the monsters you have faced and the victories you have won. Does the existence of wizards really surprise you?"

"Uh, no," he flushed, "So you're aware of the, ah, situation?"

"Indeed, I received Chiron's letter," his gaze fell on Nico, "though it appears the young messenger is still asleep."

Will's heart twisted at the sight of Nico, his face barely a shade darker than the sheets. "Yeah, he's resting."

"So," the headmaster leaned forward, "Hecate has fallen."

Annabeth explained as much as she could, how Hecate had disappeared overnight, how the Mist had disappeared, and their camp barriers failed. Will shivered, remembering the attacks that had lead up to the camp's destruction, that last night when Annabeth nearly died.

Looking around, he couldn't believe so few had made it. Lou-Ellen, Ellis, Chiara, Damien, Paolo, Connor and Miranda all slept peacefully, alongside Nico. The rest were still at Camp, on the other side of the world, or somewhere much, much more unreachable…

He was a healer. He should've been there.

"I'd be delighted to offer you sanctuary at Hogwarts," Dumbledore was saying, "But as for bringing Hecate back, I have no ideas…"

"Is it even possible?" Percy frowned, "I don't mean to be pessimistic, guys, but I was there when Pan faded, and he's _gone_."

"Pan went willingly," Annabeth said, "Hecate doesn't seem like the type to accept her end, I doubt she went peacefully. There's a way to bring her back, I know it – we just have to figure out what…"

Will's eyes fixed upon Nico. He couldn't but think how his boyfriend had just found a home at camp, he couldn't lose it now. It wasn't fair.

 _When are the Fates ever fair?_ His logical half pointed out.

 _Shut up,_ was his other half's eloquent response.

Was it his imagination, or did Nico's fingers just twitch? He watched as the son of Hades' chest heaved, drawing in deep lungfuls of air.

"Nico?"

Nico

The shadows were Nico's birth right. He'd learnt long ago that the darkness was something to be used, not feared. Still, that didn't mean he enjoyed it...

His dreams were a no man's land of broken memories that cut him like glass, even as he tried to forge past them. There were good memories; Bianca's smile lit up by the sunlight rippling off the Venetian canals… Will's laughter in his ear as he tried to teach him how to shoot, his hand warm on his shoulder.

Then, there were the memories that were too painful to dwell on; "Bianca… she didn't make it…", the cold metal inside of the bronze jar in which he'd suffocated for days, haunted by those memories he could never escape – Tartarus. He pushed past them, searching for the dreams of Chiron.

He stumbled into a scene that felt strangely familiar. A hilltop, overlooking a valley and the beach below. The sky was bruised purple with dusk, the ocean dark against the horizon. A forest covered the valley like a thick cloak of green. With a start, he realised he was looking at Camp Half-Blood before the camp existed.

He noticed Chiron, gazing at the woods below, perhaps recognizing their potential. No wonder on the night of it's destruction, the centaur was dreaming of when it all began.

"Uh, Chiron?" he began, awkwardly, startling the centaur out of his reverie.

"Nico!" His old mentor's eyes widened, "So you arrived at Hogwarts safely?"

"I-I don't know. I haven't woken up yet."

"I see," the centaur's expression grew serious, "A warning for you, then… The people I have sent you to, they are unlike anything you have faced before."

Nico's grip tightened on his Stygian iron sword. He wanted to scream, _why did you send us then?_ "They're dangerous?"

"On the contrary, I believe they are our only hope of saving Hecate and preserving what is left of the Mist."

"The camp?" Nico blurted, "Is it okay? Did anyone…?"

"Nobody died, thank the gods," the centaur's shoulders sagged with relief, "Alas, the camp is quite destroyed."

"We can come back!" he argued, "We can help rebuild!"

It felt strange, thinking of Camp as his home but Nico couldn't deny that it was. It was where he'd met Will, the last place he and Bianca had been safe together… The knowledge that it was gone made him feel lost, like he was dissolving into shadows as he almost had during his quest with Reyna and Coach Hedge.

"Nico," Chiron began gently, "I will contact our Roman friends for help. You must remain in Britain; the people I am sending you to _must_ believe again. They are blessed by Hecate, all that remains of her legacy. Perhaps, if we can renew their faith, we can bring the goddess back."

 _Blessed by Hecate?_ He wondered. _Who are these people?_

"I understand," Nico said, kicking miserably at a nearby tree stump, "Tell Reyna and Jason-"

"I'll let them know you're all safe," he promised, "Now, you must go! Pass my message on to Percy, I don't suppose you know if Annabeth…?"

Nico's fists clenched. "I don't know."

Please, gods, don't let her be dead…

The image began to flicker. The scent of eucalyptus invaded the warm summer's breeze, tickling his throat.

"I'm waking up," he muttered, "Chiron, we _will_ be back. We'll make these people believe."

Chiron's weary smile was an echo of his old self, "I don't doubt you, my boy. Remember-" but when he opened his mouth again it was Will's voice…

"Nico?"

Sunlight blinded him.

"Nico, you're awake!"

Will's golden head appeared above him, his face lit up with relief.

Nico muttered something intelligent, like, "Uh-duh…"

Percy bounded over, grinning, "Man, you're awake!"

"Annabeth is she…?"

"I'm fine," the daughter of Athena smiled, materialising beside Percy, "Thanks to you." Percy beamed, threading his fingers through her's and Nico almost laughed, remembering how much that small action had once wounded him. Now, he had Will.

He'd found his type.

"I spoke to Chiron."

Will frowned, "You mean you saw him in a dream?"

"No, I spoke to him. Uh, it's a power I have…" he grimaced apologetically as Will shot him a, _we'll talk about this later_ , look.

"How's camp?" Percy asked immediately, "Leo? Clarisse?"

"Everyone's okay…" Nico did his best to explain Chiron's plan to bring back Hecate.

Percy looked puzzled, "How does that work? We get them to throw a party in her honour and she just pops up? Like, "Sorry I've been off the radar, phone service in Chaos is terrible!""

"No, Seaweed Brain." Nico could practically see the clogs turning in Annabeth's head, "The more worshippers they have, the stronger the gods become. By teaching these guys about Hecate, we strengthen her power. It's genius!" she admitted, "A plan worthy of Athena!"

"I would be honoured to assist you," a new voice spoke. Nico raised his head, groggily, and saw a silver-haired old man standing behind his friends, his eyes twinkling kindly behind half-moon glasses.

"Nico, this is Dumbledore," Will explained, "He's an old friend of Chiron's. He's the headmaster here at Hogwarts, um…" he trailed off, wincing.

"School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Dumbledore supplied, helpfully.

" _What?"_

Annabeth

"So, that's the plan. Any questions?" Annabeth purposefully avoided looking at the Hogwarts teachers as she scanned the crowd of confused demigods and wizards. She could feel their curious gazes prickling her, making her uncomfortable.

One day after they'd woken up in the strange school, Dumbledore had gathered the staff in the infirmary, which was still closed off from the rest of the school, to hear the half-bloods' tale.

"Albus…" The sallow-skinned man Dumbledore had introduced as Snape drawled, "Surely you don't expect us to believe these children's story?"

"Yes, I do." The headmaster said, firmly, "I have been aware of our kind's Greek heritage for a while and I believe it is our duty to set things right, for the sake of both worlds."

A spindly witch with a thick, Scottish accent spoke, "I suppose another Sorting is in order, then?" She looked as though she might faint, though Annabeth got the feeling she would make a formidable enemy.

"Wise idea, Minerva," Dumbledore beamed, "And if that's all, meeting adjourned! I'll be introducing the demigods to the students tonight, at dinner."

 _Tonight?_

Restlessness spread amongst the demigods as the teachers trickled out, throwing doubtful glances over their shoulders at the pack of teenagers. Percy threw his arm around Annabeth's neck, smiling.

"We'll be alright," he said, quietly, "We'll look after them."

Annabeth nodded, waiting to see how their friends would react in private. Ellis cracked his knuckles – another day stuck inside the same room had made him even more violent than usual – Paolo muttered furiously to himself in Portuguese and Chiara and Damien were bickering loudly. Will and Nico, who had already heard the plan, were whispering in the corner.

Lou Ellen rose to her feet, fists clenched. Her eyes were red from crying but the look in them was that of determination. "Guys!" No one paid her any attention.

" _Guys!"_ The group fell silent, staring at the despondent daughter of Hecate, "This is important. We need to work as a team to save my mum!"

Will stepped forward, "Lou Ellen's right, guys. We need to work together, not just for Hecate but for ourselves. How long do you think Camp can last without the Mist?"

There was a murmur of assent, with demigods wandering back to their beds to wait out another day in the infirmary. Will and Nico headed for Percy and Annabeth, both frowning in confusion.

"Hey, guys – what's a Sorting?"


	2. Chapter 2

So it's been less than 24 hours but I've been feeling inspired recently. The next 2 chapters are mainly generic demigods at Hogwarts stuff with some details that are important to the plot. Please like/follow the story and review if you want to see more chapters. Also, disclaimer; I'm not JK Rowling/Rick Riordan, just a fan.

Harry

"Some lesson though, eh?" Ron was saying to Harry, as they set off for the Great Hall "Fred and George were right, weren't they? He really knows his stuff, Moody, doesn't he? When he did Avada Kedavra, the way that spider just _died,_ just snuffed it right there-"

But Ron suddenly fell silent at the look on Harry's face, and didn't speak again until they reached the Great Hall, when he said he supposed they had better make a start on Professor Trelawney's predictions tonight, as they would take hours.

"Attention, students!" Harry noticed the staff exchanging nervous glances, as Dumbledore gestured for everyone to be quiet, "I have an announcement to make!"

"Do you think it's about the Triwizard Tournament?" Ron mumbled, around a mouthful of food.

"Ssshh!" Hermione hissed, leaning forward to listen.

"I'm sure you've all heard the Greek myths; legends of gods and heroes, kings and monsters. I'm here to tell you that they're all true and they affect everyone here." Several mouths dropped open, "Centuries ago, the goddess of magic, Hecate, created the first wizards as a force for good. We all bear the burden of that legacy and, now, we are at risk of losing this great heritage. I am telling you this in the hopes that we may embrace our roots together and change the course of the wizarding world… Forever."

Ron gaped, "Is he serious?"

"You're all aware that the hospital wing has been closed, for several days now. Our dear Madame Pomfrey has been tending to a group of individuals who I believe may have the power to help us on this difficult journey. They are demigods, the children of gods." Someone snickered, nervously, "May I present to you, the heroes of Olympus!"

Whispers flew across the room.

"He's kidding, right?"

"Is this a joke?"

"Harry, look!" Hermione gripped his arm, tightly.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting; a chariot, perhaps, overflowing with Hercules-type heroes in shining armour, bellowing a war cry as they bore their swords aloft. But as he turned he found himself facing a ragtag bunch of eleven teenagers, all wearing ordinary muggle jeans and t-shirts and grimacing uncomfortably as they made their way toward the front.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore began, "One of the demigods would like to come up here and speak to you all?"

After a quick scuffle, a tan, dark-haired boy was sent stumbling forward to the headmaster.

"Uh, hi," he said, eying the wizards warily. The boy looked about seventeen, with dark, windswept hair and a troublemaker's grin. "I'm Percy, um, son of Poseidon."

The Hall exploded with disbelief. At the Hufflepuff table, Ernie Macmillan waved his arms about, shouting, "Are we supposed to believe this?" Even Ron snorted, "Not bloody likely!"

From the direction of the Slytherins, someone jeered, "Go to hell!"

Percy flushed, knuckles white against the dark wood of the lectern. Goblets began to tremble, skittering toward to the son of Poseidon. Something bad was about to happen, Harry was sure, but then he saw Percy let out a shaky breath and grin.

"Camp Half-Blood has been my home since I was twelve," he began, his voice growing steadier, surer. "Dumbledore tells me that some of you are, uh, muggleborn. Then you know what it's like to grow up not knowing who or what you are. You know that when you find a place where you can really be yourself, you treasure it, like I treasure my home. Now, I can never go back… unless you save it. You don't know it yet, but my world is your world, too. Centuries ago, Hecate created wizards for a reason. Help me save my home and, maybe, I can help protect yours'"

"Thank you, Percy," The headmaster's voice rang clear in the stunned silence that followed, "And now, for the Sorting! Professor McGonagall, over to you."

"They're being sorted?" Ron whispered, excited.

"I hope we get Percy…" Hermione muttered, watching intently.

Harry agreed. He wasn't sure why. Maybe because Percy seemed to hold the same disinterest in brushing his hair as he did – much to Hermione's distaste – or maybe because he recognised some of his own pain in the older boy.

The hat and stool were brought forward, quickly. The parchment was considerably shorter than the Sorting at the beginning of the year, with only eleven names, but McGonagall stepped forward with the same grandeur as Harry remembered from his first year.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she addressed the demigods, "Benvenuti, Chiara!"

An olive-skinned girl with a dark pixie cut tiptoed forward cautiously, put on the hat and sat down. The Hall itself seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the hat's reaction to sorting a – Harry still couldn't believe it - demigod.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat screamed.

"Blackstone, Lou-Ellen," also became a Ravenclaw and then McGonagall called forward "Chase, Annabeth," a tall, blonde girl with sharp grey eyes who held herself with the confidence of a leader. The hat took a long time to decide. Silence, then –

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry cheered and clapped with the rest of his house, as the girl sat down across from him. She smiled distractedly, though her eyes never left her friends still waiting to be sorted.

"Di Angelo, Nico!"

Another long wait – finally, "GRYFFINDOR!" Nico looked confused, as though he wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

"Gardiner, Miranda," became the first Hufflepuff and then, at last –

"Jackson, Percy!"

Everyone craned to get a good look at the boy who'd spoken so passionately of having a home as the hat was dropped over his eyes. One second passed, two, three, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Percy beamed, whooping loudly as he practically ran over to his new table, and Harry couldn't help but feel glad.

He had a good feeling about Percy Jackson.

Percy

 _Son of Poseidon?_ The hat whispered in his ear, _Well, this is interesting… Reckless, brave, smarter than you're given credit for… I see you have a dark side, too, impressive, what you did to Akhlys. Gave up praetor? Not Slytherin, then. Hmm, shame… Well, better be… GRYFFINDOR!_

Percy grinned and headed straight for Annabeth and Nico, catching one of the students' eyes as he jogged over to the red and gold table. He looked a year or two younger than Percy, with messy, beetle black hair. _Wow, this kid hates brushing his hair almost as much as I do!_

Annabeth punched his shoulder playfully as he slid onto the bench, beside her. Behind him, Paolo Montes was already becoming a Gryffindor, which he accepted with a large amount of yelling in Portuguese. It was excited yelling. Probably.

Nico crossed his fingers as "Solace, Will," stumbled forward and jammed the hat onto his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

He walked shakily toward them, frowning. "That's weird," he muttered, sitting beside Nico.

His boyfriend rolled his eyes. "Will," he said, exasperated, as if they'd had this conversation many times before, "There are many types of bravery. It's not just waving a sword about and blowing up goddesses. You're our best field medic. You risk your life to save others. That's brave."

"Nico's right, Will," Annabeth offered, earnestly, "We would've lost many more battles without you."

 _Many more._ As in, more than one. The demigods fell silent at the unwelcome reminder that they'd failed when it mattered most.

"Stoll, Connor!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Wakefield, Ellis!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"White, Damien!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Excuse me," a younger girl with bushy brown hair stuck her hand out, eagerly, "I'm Hermione Granger. These are my friends, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter."

They grinned, "Hi."

Percy smiled, glad that at least someone was being friendly, "Hey, I'm Percy Jackson."

The ginger-haired kid laughed, "We know! Great speech, man."

"Uh, thanks. This is my girlfriend, Annabeth, and our friends, Nico and Will."

"So," Harry Potter blinked his startling green eyes, "You're really demigods?"

"Yep! And you're really wizards?"

"Yep."

Nico ran a hand through his raven hair, "Oh, Hades. This is weird."

"Would you like some potatoes?" the girl, Hermione, offered shyly.

Percy's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and something Percy couldn't name but definitely wanted to try that he guessed was one of those things only Brits ate.

He filled his plate but, before he could take a bite, Nico elbowed him. Hard. "Do you want to get fried?" he asked.

Percy groaned, dumping half his plate into one of the braziers that lined Hogwarts' Great Hall with a half-hearted, "Poseidon." Luckily, the food didn't look like it was running out anytime soon.

Ron's eyes bulged. "Are you crazy? What did you do that for?"

"For the gods." Annabeth said, simply.

Harry frowned. Without a word, he stood and tipped his pudding into the flames. "Hecate." He said, loudly enough that the students at the other tables turned to stare. Seeing the others' expressions, he shrugged, "You said you wanted our help to bring her back, right? Count me in."

Annabeth's lips pressed together in a smile. At the Ravenclaw table, Lou Ellen looked like she might hug Harry.

The meal went quickly, after that. At last, the puddings too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The Hall fell silent.

"I have a feeling this year will be very different from the previous few. In times of darkness, we will forge new friendships, both through the Triwizard Tournament and our demigod friends!"

Percy leant over to Annabeth, "Triwizard what?" She shook her head, confused.

"A few start-of-term notices," Dumbledore continued, "First-years and our new, ah, exchange students should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all students. Quidditch try-outs will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in joining should contact Madame Hooch.

And now, bedtime! Off you trot!" He cast his twinkling eyes across the Hall one final time before sweeping back to his seat, leaving chatter in his wake.

The Gryffindor demigods clustered together against the current of students heading for the doors. Paolo was talking loudly to Connor in Portuguese with animated hand gestures, probably describing the feast.

"We can show you to the dorms, if you'd like?" Harry suggested. Percy nodded, relieved.

They followed the wizards in silence, too tired to notice the paintings whispering as they passed. Hermione was firing off questions faster than any of them could answer, "Is there a school for demigods? Is the orange t-shirt your uniform? It's a bit informal, isn't it?"

The Gryffindor common room was hidden behind an opera-singing portrait – and Percy thought _his_ life was weird.

"The boys dorms are this way," Ron said, leading Percy, Will, Nico, Paolo and Connor up a flight of steep, spiral stairs. Percy glanced back at Annabeth, left alone with Hermione. She gave him thumbs up.

The other boys fell silent as they clustered in the doorway, "Uh, hi," Percy began.

"So, you're demigods?" A sandy-haired boy with a thick Irish accent raised an eyebrow, sceptically.

Paolo's fists clenched, "Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

"Relax, Paolo," Will's voice reminded Percy of all his father's good aspects; Apollo's laid-back energy and relaxed vibe. He turned to the wizard, "We're demigods. If you don't believe us that's your problem."

"Leave it, Seamus," Harry advised, "Let's go to bed."

As Percy crawled into bed his thoughts wandered back to Camp Half-Blood, his home… How long could it survive without the Mist? Did his father know what was happening? And his mum… Had Chiron told her where he was? He would get back to her. He had to.

He'd swear it on the River Styx.


	3. Chapter 3

Percy

Breakfast was an interesting affair, to say the least. The moment Percy and Annabeth ambled through the gold-leafed doors into the Great Hall, the whispering started. Hundreds of eyes followed the couple as they made their way over to the Gryffindor table, where not a witch nor wizard sat within ten feet of their demigod friends, besides Harry and his friends.

"So," Nico was saying, "You're the Boy Who Lived, then?"

"Yeah, I guess," Harry squirmed, awkwardly.

"No offence, but I don't get it… What makes you so special? We're all alive, aren't we?"

Harry shrugged, as Hermione jumped in, "When Harry was a baby, He Who…" she took a deep breath, "Voldemort attacked him. Harry was hit by a killing curse, he should've died but he… didn't. No one, including Harry, knows how. That's what makes him special."

Nico nodded, satisfied, though still looking faintly confused.

"Excuse me," the Scottish witch Percy recognised as Professor McGonagall, the Head of Gryffindor, strode toward them. "Professor Dumbledore has suggested the demigods try to, ah, mingle with the students by attending lessons. I trust you three," she nodded sternly at Harry, Ron and Hermione, "will give them guidance. Have a good first day!"

"Lessons?" Connor Stoll groaned as the professor walked briskly away.

Percy glanced at the headmaster. He might've been imagining it, but he was pretty sure Dumbledore winked at him as he turned his head to chat to the half-giant Percy remembered as Hagrid.

"Come on, guys," he enthused weakly, "We have to fit in somehow."

Ten minutes later, Percy was following Nico and Will to their first wizarding class – Divination.

"We're lost," Nico pointed out, "Can't I just-"

"No!" Will grabbed his boyfriend's hand and pulled him into the light to stop him from shadow-travelling.

"Why did I take this class again?" Percy grumbled, trailing after them, "I hate prophecies!"

Will rolled his eyes, "You didn't want to take Arithmancy with Annabeth."

Percy shuddered. Magic and math. That was just _wrong._

After the war with Gaia, Rachel's gift of prophecy still wasn't working so Will was intrigued by the wizards' method of foretelling the future. Nico had, of course, chosen Divination to be with Will and Percy had agreed to tag along, though secretly he kind of liked not having to worry about the next Great Prophecy.

Will's brow furrowed as he squinted at the map Nico had forced a passing poltergeist – Peeves, Percy thought – to draw. "This is it!" he grinned, finally, "But no one's here…"

Percy was about to suggest they head back to the dormitory – or, even better, the Great Hall where breakfast was hopefully still being served – when a trapdoor in the ceiling opened and a silver ladder tumbled down, coming to a rest at Percy's feet.

"Guess I'm going first…" he muttered, climbing up.

The rest of the class had already arrived and were seated in tiers around the circular room, reminding Percy of a Greek amphitheatre. The room was stiflingly hot, and he was uncomfortably aware of the eyes of his classmates on him as he shuffled toward the nearest seat.

"Perseus Jackson?" Percy almost jumped out of his skin. He'd learnt to associate his full name with trouble – monsters intent on feeding on his flesh or his mum when he'd forgotten to do the dishes – but he relaxed when he realised the professor was reading it off the register.

"Uh, here – and it's Percy."

From the table behind, Ron leaned forward and tapped him on the shoulder. "Perseus, huh? Weird name."

"You're telling me."

At the front of the room, Professor Trelawney – a spindly woman wrapped in a dozen shawls with glasses that made her eyes look huge, like a bug's – gestured frantically for him to come forward. Reluctantly, he obliged.

"You've heard of the gift of prophecy?" she questioned, grabbing his hand. Percy glanced wildly around him, his expression screaming, _help!_

"Heard of it?" he snorted, "Lady, I've _lived_ it."

He heard laughter from Will and Nico's direction and some of the wizards joined in, snickering nervously.

Trelawney's eyes brightened, "You, too, are enlightened?"

"Uh, no – I meant-"

"Of course not," she dropped his hand, "You are much too self-centred to see the greater picture."

" _Self-centred?_ "

"Yes, yes," she waved him off, disappointed that she hadn't found a fellow seer, "Back to your seat, go on."

Bewildered, Percy shuffled back to his friends.

"Today, we turn our inner eyes to the stars," Trelawney threw her arms dramatically upwards, apparently forgetting that the ceiling hid the stars – even if it wasn't broad daylight outside. "The movements of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal only to those who understand the steps of the celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary rays which intermingle…"

"Is she always like this?" Percy asked, turning to face Ron and Harry.

"Always," said Ron.

"She's been predicting my death for years," Harry agreed, miserably.

Nico blinked, "Nah, you're good."

"What?"

"You're not going to die anytime soon."

Ron's eyes bulged, "You can see the future?"

"That's Will's job," Nico grinned at his boyfriend, "Wait until Trelawney finds out your dad's the god of prophecy."

"What's that, my dear?" The supposed seer called.

Will sighed as Nico began to explain. After spending the rest of the lesson fawning over Will ("Oh, yes! I see clearly now – you have the gift!"), Professor Trelawney gave the rest of the class a weekend's worth of homework, though the son of Apollo was excused on account of his, "preoccupation nurturing his Sight."

"Miserable old bat," Ron complained, "Don't worry, guys. Harry and I just make it up."

"What's next, anyway?" Will managed to suppress his smirk as they joined the crowds heading downstairs.

Harry glanced at his timetable and groaned, "Care of Magical Creatures. Wait till you meet the Blast-Ended Skrewts!"

Nico

"Why bother?" Nico argued, miserable at the thought of spending another lesson inside the ghost-infested castle. "We can't do magic anyway."

After skipping Transfiguration and Charms due to their lack of wands, Annabeth was dragging the Gryffindor demigods to their first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.

"That's not the point! We need to learn about the creatures we might end up facing – who knows if magical monsters can sniff out demigods the way Greek ones do?"

"She has a point," Will admitted.

Why did Annabeth always have to make so much sense? Nico gritted his teeth, frustrated.

According to Harry, the professor – Moody – "knew his stuff." Whatever that meant, Nico could tell he was popular by the excited chatter of the fourth-year Gryffindors as they crowded inside the room.

"Today, I will be putting each of you under the Imperius curse to demonstrate its power and see if any of you can resist its effects."

"What's the Imperius curse?" Annabeth muttered to Hermione, who looked concerned.

"But-but it's illegal," the witch said, nervously, "You said…"

"Dumbledore wants you to know what it feels like," said Moody, his magical eye swivelling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. "If you'd rather learn the hard way – when someone else puts it on you – that's fine by me. You're excused. Off you go."

He pointed one gnarled old hand at the door. Hermione turned very pink and shook her head. Nico leaned forward, curious at what kind of spell Dumbledore would be interested in teaching his students if it was illegal.

The demigods lingered back, uncertainly, as Moody began to beckon students forward and silently persuade them to do extraordinary things; hop around the classroom, imitate wild animals and recite poetry worthy of Apollo – and nobody else. Only Harry seemed mildly able to resist him, smashing headlong into the desk.

"Let's try it on one of our demigod… friends, next!" Moody grinned wickedly, "Di Angelo, you're up!"

He stumbled forward. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Nico and spoke, "Imperio!"

Nico waited. He held his breath and counted to ten. The wizards gazed at him, anxiously. Percy shot him a thumbs-up. Still, nothing happened.

The professor frowned, "Imperio!"

Nothing. Finally, Will laughed, "It doesn't work on demigods!"

Moody seemed disgruntled by this, true to his name. He insisted on trying the spell on each of the demigods in turn, with no success, before dismissing them all.

After class, Harry, Ron and Hermione ran to catch up with them.

"Blimey," Ron said, skipping on every alternate step, "How did you _all_ throw it off?"

Annabeth shrugged, "I know I wasn't really trying. It just didn't affect me. You did good, though, Harry."

He turned red, though Nico detected a faint sense of pride in his smile, "Thanks. We have a while before dinner. Do you want a tour?"

Will threaded his fingers through Nico's, beaming, "That sounds great, thanks!"

Nico allowed himself a small smile as they followed the wizards. Maybe this quest wouldn't be so bad, after all.

Harry

"That's the Forbidden Forest, it's, um… forbidden."

"Like that's stopped us before…" Ron sniggered.

"And that's the Great Lake, where the Giant Squid lives."

Percy stopped abruptly. "Giant Squid? That's so-"

"No, Percy." Annabeth sighed, shoving him onwards.

Harry led the way across the school grounds, back to the castle. They'd shown the demigods the Quidditch Pitch, the Owlery and the Forbidden Forest before their stomachs betrayed them. The thought of dinner spurred him on as they trudged up the lawn, under the darkening sky.

"What's the Triwizard Tournament?" Annabeth asked, suddenly.

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances before Harry began, "It's sort of a competition between three wizarding schools – you know, Hogwarts and two others. It's taking place here, this year. The other schools are arriving in October."

Nico sighed, "As if we don't have enough on our plate, already."

"Why do you ask?" Ron said, stomach grumbling at the mention of plates, "Are you thinking of entering? You're sixteen, aren't you? The other schools wouldn't stand a chance with a demigod as our champion!"

"It's just something Dumbledore said at dinner," Annabeth eyed the horizon warily, like it might attack her any second, "We really have our work cut out for us – convincing three schools, and this Ministry of yours, about Hecate's existence."

"It's really real, isn't it?" Hermione said in a small voice, "The gods, Hecate, all of it…"

"Afraid so," Percy grimaced, "It's not all doom and gloom, though. We get awesome powers. I can control water and talk to horses and-"

"That's cool," Ron jumped in, "Harry can talk to snakes."

"Oh, really?" Well, I can-"

"I can talk to the dead." Nico said.

That ended the conversation so abruptly, they couldn't help but laugh. Harry felt a strange kinship with the demigods. He couldn't help but feel connected to them. And for a moment – a brief moment – he thought this could work, they could help each other.

Sadly, the moment wasn't meant to last.

So, this is chapter 3! It's mostly generic demigods at Hogwarts stuff but next chapter I'll kick-start things with the Triwizard Tournament. Feel free to give me your opinions by reviewing/PMing me and like/follow. I'll probably post the next chapter on Tuesday so have a great week until then


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter kicks off with the arrival of Beauxbatons and, well, you'll see from there... Enjoy!**

Harry

It was a cold, clear evening, dusk was falling, and a wisp of cloud wound lazily around the moon. Harry's breath shimmered in the air around him, as he whispered, "How do you think they're coming?"

Ron shrugged, adjusting his Gryffindor scarf to cover every inch of exposed skin. Percy wrapped his arm around a shivering Annabeth, though whether she was shaking with anticipation or cold, Harry couldn't tell. The whole courtyard seemed to hold its breath as seconds stretched into minutes, which felt like years…

"There!" A voice Harry recognized as Lee Jordan's screamed, "Look at the sky!"

Surging forward all at once, the Hogwarts students raced down the frost-spangled lawn to get a better look. Hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, blocking out the stars and growing larger all the time was…

"A dragon!"

"No, it's a house! A flying house!"

The tense silence was broken, punctured by screams of excitement and fear.

Skimming over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest, the shape careered towards the lawn. As it drew ever closer, the light from the teachers' wands hit it, revealing a gigantic, powder-blue carriage, pulled by a dozen winged palominos, all the size of small elephants. Glinting in the candlelight flickering through the castle's many windows, a coat of arms; two crossed wands, trailing glittering golden stars, painted above the carriage's enormous door.

Students hurried back, pushing and shoving, as the door flew open and out scrambled a blue-robed boy, quickly unfolding a set of shining silver steps that seemed far to flimsy to support the foot that stepped out. The size of a child's sled, the massive shoe was quickly followed by the largest woman Harry had ever seen.

Dressed from head to toe in black satin, her handsome, olive-skinned face loomed far above the students' heads. Harry had only ever seen one other person this size and that was Hagrid but perhaps due to the woman's luxurious attire, she seemed even more imposing than their giant friend.

"Dumbly-dorr, good to see you! I 'ope I find you well?"

"On excellent form, thank you Madame Maxime. Welcome to Hogwarts! You are the first to arrive but I'm sure the Durmstrang students will be here soon!"

Hermione scowled as a tall, willowy figure swept past them, removing her muffler. Stumbling, Harry gasped; She was, quite literally, stunning. Impossibly beautiful, her silvery blonde hair fanned out behind her, her eyes glittered coldly, icy blue.

"She's a Veela!" Ron croaked, goggling at the girl's back, "She has to be!"

"Don't be silly, Ron!" Hermione hissed but she seemed uncertain.

"What's a Veela?" Percy asked, curious, seemingly unaffected by the girl.

They waited outside for almost an hour, stamping their frozen feet and shivering, particularly the Beauxbatons students in their thin, gossamer robes. At last, Dumbledore announced that they would have to start the feast without the Durmstrang students, who would surely arrive eventually. The disappointment did little to dampen the air of excitement at the Beauxbatons arrival and the boys, especially, seemed content to sit and stare at Fleur Delacour, the beautiful girl whose name they had now learnt.

Professor Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen when the feast began, and neither were the demigods…

Percy

"Where'd you go?" Hermione asked, as the Gryffindor demigods took their usual seats next to the three friends.

Percy shrugged awkwardly, "You'll see."

His mind was reeling. Dumbledore had explained the Triwizard Tournament and, from the sounds of it, this quest was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

"Attention, students!" The headmaster raised his arms for silence, smiling, unperturbed, at his audience, "First, welcome to the students from Beauxbatons and their lovely headmistress, Madame Maxine!"

The Hall erupted into cheering, with several wolf whistles in Fleur's direction.

"Unfortunately," Dumbledore continued, "Professor Karkaroff of Durmstrang has just informed me that his school will not be participating in this year's Triwizard Tournament,"

This was accompanied by gasps and groans of disappointment, all around. At the teachers' table, a wizard Dumbledore had explained to be Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports at the Ministry of Magic, fell off his chair, looking flustered. Percy just winced, knowing what was coming next.

"Fortunately, I have found some equally capable willing candidates," _Willing?_ Percy thought. "The demigods of Camp Half-Blood!"

To say that chaos ensued was an understatement. The Hogwarts students protested loudly, apparently annoyed that their secret weapons were competing under a different name. The Ministry officials looked as thought they might faint and the Beauxbatons students cried out in confusion.

"Demigods?"

"What eez zis?"

"Quiet!" Dumbledore roared, over the chatter, "All will be explained soon enough, but first, you must all be starving. Let the feast begin!"

"Did you know about this?" Ron demanded, pointing his fork accusingly at the demigods.

"We were told just now," Annabeth explained, scraping her roast beef into the nearest brazier, "This other school – Durmstrang – dropped out last minute."

Hermione frowned, "That's really last minute. It's strange."

"Dumbledore thinks so too," Will said, "He told us to stay on high-alert."

"Great," Harry moaned, "Just what we need – more danger."

Percy opened his mouth to retort that he'd been dealing with danger for _years_ when Dumbledore began again.

"The moment has finally come," he beamed at the sea of upturned faces, "for the Triwizard Tournament to start. Before we bring in the casket, I would like to explain a few things…"

Annabeth leant across the table, brow furrowed. "What casket?" she whispered to Hermione, who shrugged in response, looking equally mystified.

"… Clarifying the procedure that we will be following, this year. Firstly, let me introduce Mr Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, who will both be joining myself and Madame Maxine on the panel which will judge the champions' efforts."

There was a smattering of polite applause, but most of the students froze in anticipation at the mention of the champions, lost in daydreams of fame and glory. Noticing their sudden stillness, Dumbledore smiled, "The champions will take place in three tasks, spread out over the school year, measuring their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

At this last word, the hall became so still that nobody seemed to be breathing. Annabeth nudged him, smirking, and Percy grinned – like most demigods, he had his own methods of coping with danger. And he was very practiced.

"As you know," Dumbledore continued, calmly, "Three champions, one from each school, will compete in the tournament. They will be marked on their performance and the champion with the highest score at the end of the three tasks will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be selected by an impartial judge… The Goblet of Fire."

At a wave of Dumbledore's hand, an ancient, jewel-encrusted chest appeared on the table before him. Students craned their necks and first-years stood on their seats to get a better look, as he drew back the lid of the casket. Creaking slowly open, Dumbledore reached a wrinkled hand into the dusty depths and withdrew… a cup. A roughly hewn, wooden cup, spewing brilliant blue-white flames. Hushed whispers exchanged between students grew in intensity, as the Hogwarts headmaster held the cup aloft.

"Anyone wishing to submit themselves to be champion must simply drop a piece of parchment bearing their name and school into the Goblet. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the Goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their school. I will be drawing an age line around the Goblet to ensure that no student under the age of seventeen is tempted to enter. Good luck and goodnight to you all!"

 **The next morning...**

Annabeth

Annabeth winced as Hermione slammed the morning's headlines down in front of her.

 _ **Hogwarts Gone to Hell – The Ramblings of a Wizard Past His Prime**_ _,_ by Rita Skeeter

"Have you seen this?" the witch asked, anxiously.

Of course, she'd seen it, it was everywhere. News of the Greek world's existence was no longer contained to just the school and it was beginning to feel like more than Annabeth could handle. The Beauxbatons students barely numbered to twenty, yet she felt like she could feel the eyes of the entire wizarding community on her.

"It's okay, Hermione," Percy assured her, squeezing Annabeth's hand, "We can handle it. We've dealt with worse."

Annabeth wasn't sure; Greek monsters were nothing compared to a wizarding paparazzi.

"You're drowning your pancakes," Nico pointed out, nodding at Percy's plate, overflowing with syrup.

"Hey, I can't drown, and neither can my pancakes!"

Normally, breakfast at Hogwarts, especially on a Saturday, was filled with the quiet murmurs of sleepy students but today, the Hall was on fire with the latest gossip. The arrival of the Beauxbatons' students, the start of the Triwizard Tournament and the sudden leak of the demigods' story had everyone buzzing.

"Has anyone entered yet?" she asked, interested.

"Some of the Beauxbatons lot, that Delacour girl did," Ron sighed wistfully, "Your friends – the Slytherins, Damien and Sherman – but no one from Hogwarts yet. What about you guys? Are you thinking of entering?"

Percy nodded, "Dumbledore wants us to."

"Wish I could enter," Ron said, fervently, "A thousand galleons! Imagine!"

Annabeth nodded, though she didn't think galleons would be useful in New Rome... If she and Percy ever made it.

Harry

At they wandered back to the common room, they heard a shout from behind them, "Hey, you! Potter!"

"A friend of yours?" Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Not quite," Harry muttered, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Your friends are in the paper," Malfoy brandished a copy of the Daily Prophet, grinning.

"We know," Hermione sighed, ushering her friends onwards. She cast Harry a pleading look, _leave it._

He watched Percy's jaw clench as Malfoy pushed past Annabeth to thrust the paper in Harry's face.

"Guess you think you've found some friends, don't you?" he sneered, "A bunch of parentless freaks like yourself? Oh wait, their parent are gods and yours are DEAD!"

"Harry don't!" Hermione shrieked, grabbing his robes.

"Keep your fat mouth shut, Malfoy," said Harry, turning away.

BANG!

Several people screamed. Harry felt something white-hot graze the side of his face and reached for his wand, but it was missing.

"Percy!"

Harry spun around. Percy had collapsed on the floor clutching Harry's wand while Malfoy had been thrown against the wall fifty feet away, an almost impossible distance for a silent spell.

But Percy was a demigod. He couldn't do magic.

"Percy!" Annabeth gaped, "How-how did you-?"

Percy was staring at Harry's wand in his hand, baffled. After a long moment, he looked up at him, forcing a smile. "Sorry." He said, simply, returning the wand.

"You alright, Potter?" Harry turned to find himself face-to-face with Professor Moody, his brilliant, unblinking blue eye boring straight into his.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Must've missed."

"And you, Jackson? You're quick on your feet, I like that."

"Yeah. Yeah, I should go. I'm not hungry anymore." He wandered away, looking dazed.

"Percy not hungry?" Will joked, though he sounded uncertain. Without saying anything, the demigods hurried after their friend, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione shell-shocked.

Unknown POV

"This boy… how old did you say he was?"

"Seventeen, my lord. Dumbledore has revealed the wizarding world's true origins. He is one of the demigods from Camp Half-Blood."

"And you're sure about him?"

"He's something different, my lord. A son of Poseidon, yet a wizard, most certainly. It's most… peculiar."

"Keep an eye on him. I shall want to meet him, eventually. Now, about this tournament…"

 **Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed, please review/PM me with opinions/suggestions. I'm trying to mix some fluff in with the overarching storyline but I'm not sure so let me know what you think. Have a great day!**

 **PS Geni Blaze, thanks for your review! I am so glad you're enjoying the story (sorry for the late reply but the first 3 chapters were prewritten) Let me know what you think as the story goes on :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's Chapter 5, enjoy and remember to favourite/follow and review the story!**

Percy

The next day, Percy sat at the Gryffindor table with his friends, for the Halloween feast. Since the arrival of Beauxbatons, the seating in the Great Hall had become more relaxed and the demigods from the other houses had joined them, happily exchanging stories about their first week at Hogwarts.

All day, Percy had been dodging his friends' questions about the wand… How had he made it work? Could demigods use magic?

The truth was, when he'd picked up Harry's wand, it hadn't felt like demigod magic at all. It had felt like electricity, arcing through his spine, like what he thought it would be like to be Jason or Thalia.

"You okay?" Annabeth whispered. He nodded, pretending not to notice the concerned glances she exchanged with Nico and Will.

The chatter reached a crescendo as the golden plates shimmered back to their original, spotless state, dying away almost instantly as Dumbledore rose to his feet. Ludo Bagman was practically bouncing up and down with excitement while Mr Crouch appeared almost bored.

With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore plunged the Hall into shadows. The flames inside the Goblet of Fire, now almost painfully bright in the semi-darkness, flared, suddenly turning red. Shadows the colour of blood danced across the stone floor, as fiery sparks shot high above the children's heads.

"Now, when the champions' names are called," Dumbledore began, "I would ask them to proceed to the next chamber where they will-"

He was cut off by the students' collective gasp as a tongue of flame leapt from the goblet, releasing a charred piece of parchment. Snatching the parchment out of the air, the headmaster squinted in the dim light of the now once again brilliant blue flames. "The champion for Beauxbatons is… Fleur Delacour!"

A storm of applause swept across the hall as Fleur sashayed to the front. The cheering died down quickly, everyone's attention focused yet again on the Goblet which had turned fiery red once more. A second piece of parchment tumbled from the flames, almost fluttering to the floor before Dumbledore caught it.

"The Hogwarts champion is…" For a long moment, Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands and everyone stared at Dumbledore until, finally, he cleared his throat and read out;

"Harry Potter."

There was no applause; more of a buzzing, like a swarm of angry bees, that grew louder by the second. Percy didn't see what the big deal was until Annabeth muttered, "but Harry's fourteen, right?"

Percy couldn't help but feel bad for the younger boy as he stumbled to the front. His blank gaze met Percy's, a silent plea for help.

"Yeah! Go Harry!" Before he knew what he was doing, Percy had leapt to his feet. Harry had to know that _someone_ was rooting for him and, after a moment's awkward silence, the rest of Gryffindor table exploded with cheers.

Ushered out of the door by a frowning McGonagall, Harry disappeared. The chatter was now deafening and even Dumbledore struggled to contain it. Ron and Hermione stared at each other, stunned.

Unnoticed by the unruly crowd, a third piece of crumpled parchment was tossed from the Goblet, spewing flames. "SILENCE!" Professor Dumbledore bellowed, seizing the parchment out of the air.

Percy didn't want to compete. He had enough on his plate already… but suddenly he knew that he had to do something to help Harry. He remembered how the wizard had, without question, promised to help them bring back Hecate. Percy knew enough about quests to know that it was impossible to succeed alone.

 _Please, Dad,_ he thought, _if you're listening… help me out._

"And finally, the champion for Camp Half-Blood is…

Percy Jackson!"

Harry

Fleur stood, alone, by the fire. Harry was shaking as he approached, not sure how to put into words what had just happened.

"What eez it?" she asked, imperiously. "Ver is ze next champion?"

Harry opened his mouth to respond when the Hall behind him erupted with cheers. Percy burst through the door, grinning, followed by Dumbledore, Ludo Bagman, Mr Crouch, Madame Maxine, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall.

Fleur raised a perfect eyebrow. "What about ze 'Ogwarts…?" her eyes fell upon Harry, "Oh."

"Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire, Harry?"

"No." Snape snorted with disbelief. The other adults exchanged careful glances.

"And did you ask an older student to put your name into the Goblet for you?" Dumbledore continued.

" _No_."

"Zis is most injust!" Madame Maxine exploded, "A… a _demigod_ competing in the Tri _wizard_ Tournament and now a little boy? Dumbly-dorr, what is ze meaning of zis?"

"I'm afraid both Percy and Harry must compete," Dumbledore said, politely, "It's a binding magical contract."

Madame Maxine did not retort, merely glared. Ludo Bagman bounced on the balls of his feet, ridiculously excited.

"Well, the first task is designed to test your daring," he beamed, like this was the best news since Ireland won the Quidditch World Cup, "So we won't be telling you what it is! Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality for wizards and…" he coughed, "Ah, demigods alike. The first task will take place on November 24th. Good luck to you all!"

Madame Maxine led Fleur swiftly away and the other teachers drifted off, leaving Percy and Harry standing awkwardly by the door.

"Shall we go back to the common room, then?" Percy asked, with forced cheerfulness.

"Uh, I think I need to be alone," Said Harry, apologetically.

The son of Poseidon nodded, like he understood. As Harry wandered away, he called after him, "Hey, Harry!"

"What?"

"I believe you – that you didn't put your name in the Goblet of Fire."

Harry hesitated, smiling despite himself.

"Thanks."

Annabeth

"I'm worried about Harry," muttered Percy.

Annabeth frowned, "I'm worried about _you_ , Seaweed Brain."

The demigods had stayed behind in the Great Hall to celebrate with Percy, when he finally came out, though Annabeth didn't feel like celebrating. Why couldn't they have a quiet year for once?

"Don't be," he smiled, wrapping an arm around her, "I'll be fine. I always am."

 _Arguable_ , she thought dryly. In the last five years, Percy had disappeared twice, fought titans, giants and Ares himself, saved the world multiple times and fallen into Tartarus to stay with her. _Fine_ didn't really cover all that.

"Percy," Nico called from beside Will. The son of Apollo had cake crumbs spilling from his mouth as he gave them a thumbs-up, "Can we _please_ talk about the wand?"

Annabeth's throat constricted. Watching Percy do magic had been kind of terrifying. They'd lost so much, already, she was afraid of losing him to a world she barely understood.

"Alright," her boyfriend sighed, grimacing, "But I don't really understand it either. It just, sort of… happened."

The cogs in Annabeth's brain started turning. One thing was for certain; the Fates weren't done with Percy, yet.

And she sure as Hades wasn't letting him go through anything alone.

 **Risa, Geni Blaze, aLazyCloud and b31nobody, thank you so much for your reviews. You have no idea how happy they made me - I logged on today thinking, "please let me have another review," and I got 4! Keep reading and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.**

 **Risa, your review pointed out many important aspects of the story and you read my mind (sort of) with Nico's past! I'm planning on having Nico, Harry and Percy as the three key characters of the story so keep reading to find out how Nico's backstory plays a part (you'll probably get more Nico next chapter or the chapter after!). Please keep letting me know what you think of the storyline as it continues!**


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter is kind of an overview of everyone's thoughts/feelings over the days following Halloween. Enjoy!**

Harry

If Harry thought that things would improve once everyone got used to the idea of him being the Hogwarts' champion, his first day back at lessons showed him just how wrong he was.

It seemed he couldn't win; the older students were mad that he'd stolen their chance at glory and his fellow fourth-years resented him for keeping his method of entering to himself. Ron still wasn't talking to him and his barely-controlled feeling of panic followed Harry wherever he went.

"What have you done?" Professor Sprout demanded Nico, her normally smiling mouth puckered in a scowl.

"Uh…" Any other day Harry would've laughed at the expression on Nico's face as he backed away from the tray of Bouncing Bulbs they were repotting.

"Mr di Angelo, I repeat; What have you done?"

Nico squirmed uncomfortably between Will and Percy, who were both shaking with silent laughter. "I-it's not my fault! My stepmother – she hates me, she- ugh, never mind!"

Harry frowned, "His stepmother?"

"Persephone, right?" Hermione looked to Annabeth for confirmation.

"That's right," the older girl nodded, and Hermione glowed with pride, "The goddess of springtime – well, she doesn't get on very well with Nico."

Nico was now cursing in a language that sounded an awful lot like Ancient Greek, much to his friends' amusement.

"Out!" The Herbology professor cried, shaking her head hopelessly, "Class dismissed!"

Care of Magical Creatures did nothing to improve Harry's mood. Hagrid had the class take the Blast-Ended Skrewts for a walk which gave Malfoy plenty of time to taunt him.

"We're taking bets on how long you'll last," he sneered, "Goyle here reckons ten minutes but I put my galleons on five. Half the Triwizard champions have died…"

"Don't listen to him, Harry!" Hermione called, dodging her Skrewt's sting, "Percy, no!"

Percy's robes were smoking as he wrestled his Skrewt to the ground, sword in hand. The creature screeched as it struggled to escape the demigod's grasp.

"Let it go!" Hagrid cried, hurrying over, "It was only having a bit of fun!"

"It attacked me!" Percy protested, as Hagrid dragged him to his feet.

Hagrid scowled, "I thought Dumbledore confiscated yer weapons when ye arrived?"

"Weapons?" Malfoy's voice was an octave higher than usual.

Harry laughed nervously with the rest of the class, but he couldn't help noticing that Ron steadily refused to meet his gaze and continued to do so for the rest of the day.

The next few days were some of Harry's worst at Hogwarts. Only the demigods and Hermione kept him going but, even so, it was lonely, without Ron and with dislike pouring in from all sides. And Double Potions was the worst…

"Antidotes!" Said Snape, cold eyes glittering cruelly, "You should all have prepared your recipes by now. I want you to brew them carefully and then we will select someone on whom to test one."

"Hades' underpants," Will muttered, eyes watering from the fumes rising from his cauldron.

Nico cringed, "Don't, just… don't."

"Sorry," Will smirked.

A knock on the door interrupted them, and Colin Creevey edged into the room.

"Please, sir – I'm supposed to take Percy Jackson and Harry Potter upstairs. Mr Bagman wants all the champions."

"Very well," Snape glowered, "Jackson, Potter, leave your things. I want you back here to test your antidotes."

Colin squeaked, "Sir, they're supposed to take their things. Professor Dumbledore said-"

"Fine!" growled Snape, "Get out of my sight, both of you!"

Percy gathered up his books gratefully and it wasn't hard to see why; his cauldron was spewing sulphurous green smoke, making Annabeth cough. He was probably glad to get away before Snape had the chance to poison him with his own antidote.

"You ready?" Percy asked, and Harry nodded apprehensively.

Colin smiled at him as he led the way up the stairs, gazing at Percy in awe. Harry felt a twinge of jealousy, something he wouldn't have thought possible considering Colin had practically stalked him for the last two years. Percy was so much more clearly a champion than Harry, with his obvious experience and confident grin… No wonder some Hogwarts students were supporting him, instead.

It certainly didn't help that Ron was one of them.

"Good luck!" Colin left them at the right door. Harry took a deep breath, knocked and entered.

The desks had been pushed to the side of the small classroom, leaving a wide space where a paunchy photographer was currently fussing over Fleur. Great, Harry thought, just what he needed – more publicity.

"There he is!" A woman sporting bejewelled glasses so bright they made Harry squint cried, "The demigod!"

Percy looked startled. "Rita Skeeter," she beamed, wringing his hand, "Reporter for the Daily Prophet. Pleasure to meet you! Perhaps we could get an exclusive interview before the photos?"

"Uh, sure?" Percy glanced over his shoulder at Harry, his expression pleading – _help!_ Harry grinned; he knew first-hand being in the spotlight wasn't always fun. Perhaps the wizarding world's sudden fascination with demigods wasn't such a bad thing, after all…

Percy

"So, Percy," Rita rubbed her acidic green quill affectionately, "What can you tell our readers about your _tragic_ backstory?"

Percy pressed himself against the wall of the broom cupboard, eager to put as much distance between himself and the reporter as possible. Half of him wanted to tell the old harpy to shove off and poke her nose in someone else's business but the other half reminded him of why he was here; to make the wizards believe in Hecate. To do that, he might actually have to _talk_ to the wizards.

"Uh…" he began awkwardly, "I don't know about tragic."

Doomed, more like.

"Well, you know about the old gods," he gestured vaguely, wishing Chiron was here to explain it, "Old Thunderpants and Poseidon – that's my dad – but the real reason…" Percy trailed off, distracted by the quill.

 _The seventeen-year-old heartthrob gushes enigmatically about his so-called "family."_

"Yes, yes," Skeeter said, impatiently, "What about your personal life? Are you in a relationship?"

"Uh, I have a girlfriend, but I don't see what-"

The door to the broom cupboard was thrown open. "Now, now, Rita!" Ludo Bagman chuckled, "Don't hog the champion! It's time for photos!"

She pursed her lips, "Oh, well, but then-"

Percy darted out of the way before she could schedule a follow-up interview. He spent the next half-hour being poked and prodded by the photographer. When, at last, the champions were free to go, Dumbledore waved him over.

"Walk with me?" he murmured.

Percy got the feeling it wasn't a request, but he nodded, anyway. Dumbledore led him out of the cramped classroom, up a wide flight of marble steps and down a corridor bustling with wizards on their way to dinner.

"I haven't forgotten the real reason why you're here, Percy," the headmaster pursed his lips, "Perhaps it was too much to ask you to compete in the Triwizard Tournament."

"You think?"

A smile tugged at Dumbledore's lips, "The current History of Magic professor is a little, ah, _out of touch_ with the students."

"Um…" Percy wasn't sure why he was telling him this, "Okay?"

"So," Dumbledore stroked his beard, thoughtfully – something Percy thought people only did in movies, "Maybe you and your friends would like to teach some classes, yourselves? Include the Greek world into the curriculum."

Percy stopped, "Oh."

"You see, Percy, I'm giving you an opportunity to accomplish your goal… teaching people about the gods to make them believe. In exchange, I ask only that you keep an eye on Harry during the Tournament."

"I was going to do that, anyway," Percy sped up to keep pace with the headmaster's large strides, "Harry's a good kid. I won't let anything happen to him."

"I sincerely hope so," the twinkle vanished from Dumbledore's eye, "Because I will do whatever it takes to keep my students safe. Do you understand, Percy?"

He understood; Dumbledore wanted to help them, but if something one of them did endangered his students in any way… He wouldn't hesitate to throw them out.

Percy respected that, but as he walked away to find his friends, one question weighed on his mind:

Whose side was Dumbledore really on?

Nico

The train's whistle pierced the morning air. Nico clung to his mother's robes to keep from being separated in the steady stream of people hurrying to board the steam engine.

"Ciao, Nico," His sister's hair was in his mouth as she hugged him goodbye, "I'll miss you."

"Bianca?"

He was dreaming. The knowledge made his heart ache; he wanted so badly for this to be real.

"Hurry, mia figlia," Maria di Angelo separated her children gently and Nico craned his neck to get a good look at his mother.

She looked younger than when he'd seen her in Persephone's garden… her hair longer, her eyes brighter. She wore crimson robes, like the kind Nico had seen at Hogwarts but that didn't make sense… His mother wasn't a witch, yet judging from his height, Nico was maybe six or seven which meant this wasn't a dream.

It was a memory.

"The Hogwarts Express leaves any minute," his mother urged. Nico blinked; the Hogwarts Express?

"Okay, okay," Bianca laughed. She ran toward the train, her robes flying out behind her.

"Bianca, wait!" Nico pushed through the crowds, after his sister. He didn't understand… Why was Bianca, a demigod born in Italy, going to wizarding school in Britain?

His foot caught on something and he was spent sprawling across the cobbled platform, grazing his palms. He bit his lip, tears prickling his eyes. This was crazy – Nico did _not_ cry, but his seven-year-old self couldn't help it.

"Sorry about that," A voice said. Nico rubbed his eyes furiously, his teenage self embarrassed to be caught crying on the ground, while his child self looked around wildly for his mother. "You need to slow down, kid."

A teenage boy loomed over him, offering a pale hand. The real Nico was older than him by a couple years but he felt seven-year-old Nico's sharp pang of fear. The older boy had dark hair, slicked back, and snake-like eyes and something about his smile was off, like an alien trying to imitate human emotion.

"Nico?" Bianca appeared above him, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," he scrambled to his feet.

"He was running, and he tripped on my cloak," the boy explained.

"Oh," Nico didn't like the way the boy was staring at his sister, "I'm Bianca di Angelo, first year."

"My name's Tom. Tom Riddle."

The crowds vanished. Nico found himself alone in a dark and overgrown graveyard, the black outline of a church in the distance. A full moon bleached the landscape white.

"Bianca?" He turned and found himself faced with a crumbling headstone, the name etched into the pale marble clearly visible in the moonlight.

 **Tom Riddle.**

" _Bianca?_ "

His body lurched, and he found himself in his bed in the Gryffindor dorm, drenched in sweat. Still trembling, he struggled to untangle himself from the red and gold sheets.

"Nico?" Will's voice called softly across the room, "You okay?"

"Yeah," he swallowed, "Just a bad dream." No need to go into details; Will didn't need to remember what a freak his boyfriend was by reminding him that he was alive almost a century ago.

"Tartarus?" he asked sympathetically.

Nico didn't answer. He didn't want to lie but he didn't understand what he'd seen, either.

"I… I don't want to talk about it."

Will nodded, understandingly. "Night, Death Boy."

Nico smiled. He might not know much about his past, but he could deal with that, so long as Will was in his future.

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favourited the story. Keep letting me know what you think! From now on, I will be posting every 2/3 days so keep reading and have a great week.**

 **aRTsyisAwesome, you asked a few important questions - the magic Percy used is spontaneous and therefore isn't a specific spell/doesn't have a specific incantation. It is fuelled by his emotions, like Harry does with the snake at the zoo before he discovers he's a wizard. In this case, Percy wants to protect his friends. Also, no, Cedric will not be competing. I don't want to copy the storyline of TGOF too much because I think sometimes it can make a fanfiction like reading a badly-written version of the original but, on the bright side, this way Cedric doesn't die! The last scene will still be full of drama though so keep reading ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

Harry

"Is your teacher supposed to be dead?"

Harry glanced up, distracted, from where he was trying to catch Ron's eye across the classroom.

"What? Oh, yeah," he replied, vaguely, "Binns is always like that."

A wicked grin spread across Nico's face, "Guys, I got this." He headed straight for the teacher's desk.

"At least we won't have any trouble convincing him to hand over his class," Annabeth said, as brightly as she could manage.

"What do you-"

Nico muttered something to the professor, who immediately began snoring softly in his chair. The son of Hades smirked and gestured for his friends to join him at the front of the room, leaving Harry alone with Hermione at their usual desk. The empty chair beside them was a painful reminder of Ron's absence.

The demigods' first lesson was more important than ever, since Rita Skeeter had published her interview with Percy. The article, titled "Demigod Delusions, the Inside Scoop on Hogwarts' Latest Students," had turned them into a laughing stock… And Harry couldn't deny that he was curious. He hardly knew anything about his newest (and fast becoming only) friends, except that they seemed to trust him without reason.

"Hey," Annabeth started. Hermione sat up straighter, but the rest of the room continued talking, oblivious, "HEY!" Her voice echoed, slightly, as Harry's classmates fell silent, "So, Dumbledore has asked us to teach you a little bit about our world. I know that some rumours have been going around saying that we're all, well… crazy. Today, we're going to prove them wrong."

Doubtful glances were exchanged around the room. Many wizards had been quick to disregard the demigods' story and seemed reluctant to change their minds.

"We're going to start at the beginning, with the primordial god, Chaos, who-"

"This school is in chaos," snorted Seamus, "Imagine, Dumbledore actually believing these-"

"Actually, Annabeth," Percy interrupted loudly, glaring at the Irish wizard, "I think we should start at the end, with the most recent stuff."

"Um, okay," she said, seemingly a little miffed that her boyfriend had ignored her carefully-thought-out lesson plan, "We'll start with the Second Giant War."

Hermione gasped, "The _Second_ Giant War?"

Harry leant forward, as Percy described their quest across Europe to destroy the Gaia, the _goddess of the earth,_ capturing goddesses and facing down ballet-dancing giants. Nico spoke quietly about his journey through Tartarus – alone – and being captured and how, just when he'd been rescued, Percy and Annabeth fell into _literal hell_ themselves.

Finally, the bell rang, shattering the wizards' spellbound silence. Harry and Hermione waited for the demigods after class.

"That was…" Hermione clutched three feet of parchment's worth of notes to her chest, " _Fascinating_."

Percy grinned, though he seemed a little out of it. Harry cleared his throat, awkwardly. What was he supposed to say? "Did you get any pictures while you were down in hell?" "What were the tourist accommodations like?"

"There's a Hogsmeade visit, this Saturday," Hermione said, eventually, "Do you guys want to come?"

"Sure!" Will agreed, "but, uh… what's a Hogsmeade?"

Will

"…Only entirely non-muggle settlement in Great Britain," Hermione was saying as they wandered out of Zonko's Joke Shop.

For the first time since Camp Half-Blood's destruction, Will felt truly at ease, with his arm slung around Nico's shoulders. Paolo Montes was chatting enigmatically to Nico in Portuguese, a language the son of Hades only half understood, while Will's boyfriend, apparently determined to keep up Cabin 13 appearances, was sucking on a blood-flavoured lollipop from Honeydukes, looking politely bemused.

The others formed a throng around them, staring in wonder at the cobbled streets and crooked shopfronts. Harry had flat-out refused to come, probably to avoid unwanted attention since Skeeter's scathing article on the demigods had been coupled with a detailed biography of Harry's life, deeming him a cry-baby and an attention-seeker.

Suddenly, Paolo cried out, dropping his Zonko's bag of dungbombs, dispersing the pack of wizards and demigods with the stench of rotten eggs.

"What happened?" Percy asked, his borrowed Gryffindor scarf wrapped around his nose.

"He says, "Look! A flying lollipop!"" Nico translated, weakly.

Will stared at his boyfriend, " _What?_ "

Nico shrugged, pointing across the road through a gap in the crowds where the sweet treat was visible, hovering, as though floating on the breeze.

"Uh, Hermione…" he coughed, "Is that normal?"

The witch's eyes narrowed, "I have to go do… something. Oh, look, the Three Broomsticks!" she feebly enthused, pushing them towards a nearby pub, "Buy me a Butterbeer, will you?"

"What's going on with her?" Annabeth wondered aloud, watching Hermione hurry off through the crowds. When no one answered, she sighed, "Oh, well. I guess we better wait for her inside."

The Three Broomsticks appeared to be a favourite hangout of the Hogwarts students, as Will recognised many faces from school. The bar looked freshly scrubbed, gleaming in the light of the roaring fire. Everyone looked cheerful and relaxed. From a nearby table, Lou Ellen gave him a jolly wave, nudging Chiara Benvenuti, the other Ravenclaw demigod, to do the same. Over by the door, Miranda Gardiner was trading Chocolate Frog cards with two other Hufflepuffs across from where Damien and Sherman were challenging the Slytherins to arm-wrestling.

"Six… butterbeers, please," Annabeth asked the barmaid, politely. She began weaving through the crowd, leading the group to the table where Lou Ellen and Chiara were sitting.

The benches were short, and Nico leant into Will to make room for the others. Will smiled, enjoying the warmth of his body against his.

"I'm worried," Lou Ellen admitted, "It's starting to feel like nobody believes us."

"We had a really good History of Magic lesson," Annabeth said, reassuringly, "And Harry and his friends are on our side."

"No offence to him but Harry doesn't really have that many friends right now," Nico pointed out, slurping his butterbeer.

"Hey, guys?" Percy frowned, "Didn't Hermione ask us to buy her a drink?"

"Yeah, Seaweed Brain, why?"

"Because she's sitting over there…"

The demigods turned to stare not-so-subtly at Hermione who sat alone in the corner, an empty chair beside her. Will tried to catch her eye, but her gaze was fixed steadfastly on a notebook in her lap, her lips moving.

"Is she talking to herself?" Chiara asked.

"Maybe she's reading?"

"Her eyes aren't moving," Annabeth noted, "C'mon, lets go talk to her."

Percy, Will and Nico followed her across the room to Hermione's table. Her eyes widened as she spotted them.

"Hey, Hermione. Mind if we sit?"

"No!" she cried, her face scrunching in panic, "I mean… there aren't enough seats! I'll come sit with you."

"It's alright, we don't want to disturb you," Annabeth looked at her strangely, "Are you okay?"

"What? Oh, yes! I'm fine!"

Will examined the chair beside Hermione, an idea coming together in his mind. When it did, he had to fight the urge to laugh – it was rare he figured things out before his friends, especially Annabeth.

"Hermione, who's in the chair?"

"What?"

"Who's invisible in the chair?"

She bit her lip, "Oh, alright then! It's Harry."

" _Hermione!_ " the exasperated whisper came from nowhere.

Percy grinned, "It's okay, we won't say anything. Come join us?"

They returned to the table, careful to pull out an extra chair for Harry.

"What's that?" Will questioned, pointing at Hermione's notebook.

Her eyes lit up. A groan escaped the empty space Harry was occupying. "It's for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. S.P.E.W for short!"

"Spew?" Nico frowned quizzically.

Hermione ignored him. "Do you want to join?" she asked Will, hopefully.

"Uh… sure?"

"Look, it's Hagrid!" said Harry, eager to change the subject.

Sure enough, Hagrid's enormous shaggy head loomed over the crowds. At the table beside him sat Professor Moody, drinking deeply from his hipflask. Moody's magical eye settled on the chair beside Will, where Harry was sitting. The professor leaned up and tapped Hagrid on the small of his back – being unable to reach his shoulder – and gestured to the corner where they were. He muttered something in Hagrid's ear. The giant beamed, and they began making their way across the pub towards them.

"Nice cloak, Potter," Will heard Moody mutter as he leaned in on the pretence of reading Hermione's S.P.E.W notebook.

"Harry, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin," Hagrid whispered, quietly enough that only a demigod would be able to hear, "Wear that cloak."

Straightening up, Hagrid said loudly, "Nice ter see yeh, Hermione," winked, and departed. Moody followed him.

"Why does he want me to meet him at midnight?" Harry said, confused.

"He does?" said Hermione, "But, Harry, you might be late for – you know – at one."

Harry opened his mouth like he wanted to say something but stopped, glancing guiltily at the demigods, and closed it again. Hermione cast him a worried look and quickly made an excuse to leave, dragging Harry out by his wrist.

"We'll see you guys later," he said, apologetically.

Will exchanged a wide-eyed glance with his boyfriend.

"What was that all about?" he asked, baffled.

Mischief glinted in Nico's beetle-black eyes.

"I don't know… but we're going to find out."

Harry

Later that night, Harry hurried back to the common room, wrapped in his Invisibility Cloak. It was a warm night, but Harry was shivering and not just with the anticipation of speaking to Sirius for the first time in months; He'd just seen what was coming in the First Task and he wasn't sure if he was glad or not.

At least the shock was over. He might not pass out cold in front of the entire school now. But without the element of surprise, he was left with nothing except throat-constricting terror and a leaden sense of dread.

In three days, he would be facing a fifty-foot-high, scaly, spike-ridden, fire-breathing dragon. And with everyone watching, he had to get past it. _How?_

 _Sirius._ He sped up. He couldn't remember ever wanting to talk to someone more than he did right now.

Harry was soon out of breath as he rushed up the marble stairs, but he didn't slow down, he had less than five minutes to get up to the fire and he couldn't bear the thought of missing the one 'o'clock deadline.

The common room was deserted, the flames the only source of light and, nestled among them, was Harry's godfather's head.

"Sirius!" He managed to suppress his yelp of surprise, throwing himself on the rug in front of the fire, "How are you?"

"Never mind me, how are you?"

He tried to say, "I'm fine," but the words stuck in his throat. Before he knew what he was doing, he was talking more than he had in weeks – about Skeeter and the demigods and the dragons – and about Ron, Ron not believing him, Ron's jealousy.

"Listen, Harry," Sirius' gaze was full of concern, "I don't have much time. These demigods – are you sure you can trust them?"

Harry hesitated, "I-yes, I'm sure."

Sirius did not look so convinced, "It seems to me that whoever put your name in the Goblet of Fire – whether it was one of Voldemort's followers or a demigod – is trying to kill you. I can't help thinking the Tournament would be a very good way of attacking you and making it look like an accident."

"It won't be very hard," Harry observed, bleakly, "They'll just have to stand back and let the dragons do their thing."

"Right – these dragons," Sirius stopped, alarmed, "Is someone with you?"

"What? No!"

He scowled, "I thought I heard- never mind. There is a way, a simple spell. Just-"

But Harry held up a hand to silence him. He could hear what Sirius must have – footsteps, down the spiral staircase. Drawing closer to Harry's godfather, and Harry knew that if anyone saw Sirius' face within the walls of Hogwarts, all hell would break loose.

"Someone's coming!" he hissed, " _Go!"_

Sirius vanished with a barely audible pop, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts and, a few moments later, a very disgruntled Ron…

Nico

"We shouldn't be doing this," Will fretted.

"Ssshh!" Nico silenced his boyfriend, pressing his finger against Will's lips, making the son of Apollo grin, despite himself.

If he felt any guilt about spying on Harry and his mysterious visitor, it was quickly squashed by the relief he felt at having an excuse to stay up. His nightmares had been getting worse, recently. Some, he spoke about with Will, but others Nico preferred to keep to himself – namely, the ones with Bianca and the strange boy… Tom Riddle.

"Sirius!" They heard Harry yelp. Nico crept forward, peeking around the curved wall of the stairwell. Harry was crouched down in front of the fire but there was no sign of the elusive, "Sirius." Nico blinked – had the young wizard finally cracked?

"I don't have much time," the fire spoke, startling the demigod, "These demigods – are you sure you can trust them?"

"What's going on?" Will whispered as Nico edged back toward him, "Is someone there?"

Nico shook his head, "I think it's some kind of iris-message. He's asking Harry if he trusts us."

Will's brow furrowed, "And what's he saying?"

Nico gestured for him to listen. They both flattened themselves against the wall, straining their ears to catch Harry's answer.

"I-yes, I'm sure."

Will smiled, relieved, "We should go," he said.

He nodded reluctantly, but as the demigods stood to leave, the son of Hades' foot snagged on Will's robe and he was sent sprawling forward.

 _"_ _Di immortales!"_ he swore.

The couple froze. "Is someone with you?" they heard Harry's visitor ask.

"What? No!" Harry answered, hurt.

Will opened his mouth to say something, but Nico shook his head, heart suddenly pounding. He could hear footsteps approaching from above, trapping them in the stairwell.

 _"Someone's coming,"_ he mouthed.

Will's eyed widened, " _What do we do?"_

 _"Hold on,"_ Nico grabbed his boyfriend's shirt. Will realised what he was going to do, a moment before he did it...

 _"_ _No!"_ Too late, Nico stepped back into the shadows, dragging his boyfriend with him.

They collapsed, breathless, on Nico's bed back in the Gryffindor boys' dorm.

"Sorry," Nico gasped, "I know I'm not supposed to-"

"Shut up," Will pulled Nico toward him, kissing him deeply, "I love you, Death Boy."

Nico heard shouting in the common room below, but he didn't care. Right then, he felt that the castle could burn to the ground and, so long as he had Will, he would be okay.

"I love you, too," he mumbled, surprised, "But if you ever call me Death Boy again, Sunshine…"

He let the threat hang.

 **Thanks again to everyone who reviewed - I love hearing your feedback! Keep letting me know what you think and remember to follow/favourite the story for more. Next update will be on Friday, have a great week!**

 **TheLoungeRoom I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! I was planning on including Cedric but my ideas for the story made him kind of redundant as a character and therefore there wasn't much point in including him in the story (but at least he survives TGOF!). I don't want to spoil anything so you'll just have to keep reading to see what I mean ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

Harry

"Dragons?" Hermione yelped when he told her everything he'd learnt, the night before.

Harry had hoped her reaction would be different, that she'd say "Oh, that's easy! I read somewhere in a book that…" and proceed to solve the problem, as she had in the past. Instead, the panic in her eyes told him what he already knew – he was doomed.

The lake glittered in the morning sunlight. It seemed unfair, Harry thought, that the rest of the world should continue as normal while he faced such dire circumstances.

"You know what we need to do, right?" said Hermione, her mouth set with determination.

Harry groaned, "The library?"

Ten minutes later, he was pulling down every book he could find on dragons. Hermione muttered furiously to herself as she poured over an enormous pile of spell books while Harry, his brain filled with a blank buzzing, read the same lines over and over again…

 _"_ _Talon-clipping by charms… Treating scale rot…"_

 _"_ _Dragons are extremely difficult to slay, owing to the ancient magic that imbues their thick hides, which none but the most powerful spells can penetrate…"_ This book seemed determined to point out the obvious.

"What do you think the first task will be?"

It was Annabeth; Harry glimpsed her, sitting with Percy, through the bookshelves. She was cradling a copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ , Hermione's favourite book, in her lap.

"Whatever it is, I can handle it," Percy's voice carried across the room.

"Unless it's a spell you have to cast…" Annabeth pointed out, "Or a knowledge test… Maybe you should get a wand – you made Harry's work."

"I told you, I don't know how I did that!"

If Harry was right, Percy was the only champion who didn't know about the dragons. Madame Maxine had surely told Fleur, by now. The decent thing to do would be to tell him.

But Percy was a _hero_. Judging from the demigods' history lesson, he had faced much worse enemies and won. Why give him another advantage when he was already older and obviously more experienced than his competitors?

"I'm going to get another book," he told Hermione, making up is mind, "Stay here."

"Okay," she mumbled, barely looking up from _Men Who Love Dragons Too Much._

"Hey, guys," Harry said, sliding into the spare seat at Percy and Annabeth's table.

"Hi, Harry," Annabeth smiled, "We were just talking about the first task."

"I know, I-I heard you," he opened his mouth to say more but found himself choking on the words. If he should have to suffer knowing what was coming, why shouldn't Percy suffer not knowing? What if Percy laughed at him and said, "Dragons? I eat dragons for breakfast!"?

"Dragons!" he blurted out, "I mean, the first task is dragons."

Percy stared at him, "Are you sure they're not drakons?"

"Um… yes."

"Oh, that's good," relief washed across his face.

 _Good?_

"Look, guys," Harry said, seriously, "I don't know if wizarding world dragons are different but I'm talking fifty-foot, fire-breathing monsters covered in spikes and scales that even your sword won't touch."

"Oh," said Percy.

"Why are you telling us this?" Annabeth demanded, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I didn't want to, at first," he admitted, "But Fleur knows too, so it's only fair."

"Harry…" Percy grimaced, "Thanks."

"It's okay," and it was – really. Harry realised he felt better, lighter, like the knowledge wasn't so heavy now he wasn't alone in bearing it, "I should go… figure out how to fight these things."

"Harry, one more thing!" Annabeth called after him.

He turned to face her, "Yeah?"

"Can I borrow your wand?"

Annabeth

Autumn sunlight streamed through the windows of the empty classroom Annabeth had commandeered for their meeting. Demigods from all four houses were strewn across the desks, propping their feet up as they swapped stories and homework answers. Nico – the only one who'd ever actually used a quill – was scratching out Will's potions essay for him, while the son of Apollo played with his hair.

"So," the attention fell on Annabeth as she started speaking and she couldn't help missing the ping-pong table and cheese whiz that normally accompanied their war councils, "I called you all here to discuss something strange that happened the other day, with Percy and a wizard's wand."

Percy scowled at the desk and Annabeth resisted the urge to squeeze his hand comfortingly.

"We need to know if this is a demigod thing or a Percy thing." _Please, not a Percy thing,_ she thought. Annabeth wasn't sure how many more "Percy things," they could handle, "So, Percy, if you will…" She gestured for him to take Harry's borrowed wand which sat, innocently, on the desk.

Sighing, he picked it up, "Uh… what do I say?"

"Abracadabra?" Chiara volunteered.

Lou Ellen chuckled, "Alakazam!"

"A _real_ spell," Annabeth insisted, "Something you've heard Harry or one of his friends say."

"Okay, then. Here goes…" Percy glared at the wand, as if daring it to work, "Expelliarmus!"

For a moment, nothing happened. Annabeth even thought, _huh, maybe it was a mistake, maybe Percy_ isn't _in trouble again._ Then; _Crash!_ The windows shattered, broken glass scattering across the flagstones. People screamed, scrambling back, as Percy pushed Annabeth out of the way. He stared at the wand in his hand, terror creeping across his expression.

"Well," he said, with a shaky grin, "That worked."

Annabeth snatched the wand out of his hand, "Let's _not_ try that again. Is anybody hurt?"

Connor had a nasty gash across one cheek that was healed with ambrosia and Sherman Yang had hit his head, diving in front of Miranda. Will rolled his eyes as he healed him.

"What is it with you and concussions?"

"That makes my pig balls look like nothing!" Lou Ellen gazed in awe at the wand, "Can we all do that?"

"Try it," Annabeth said, gingerly handing it over.

"Expelliarmus!"

There was no noise like the world ending, no broken glass or flashing lights. The unbroken windows stayed unbroken. After Lou, Connor tried it, followed by Damien, Sherman, Miranda, Chiara, Will and Paolo…

"Alohomora!"

"Aguamenti!"

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The demigods' attempts were met with deafening silence. Each failure turned Percy's ears redder and Annabeth's heart grew heavy as, finally, she picked up the wand.

It wouldn't work, she knew. She could feel it – she just wasn't a witch.

"Accio!" The summoning charm she'd watched Hermione learn summoned nothing, but some of the hope in Percy's eyes disappeared.

"No one else can do it," Lou said, "That means…"

"Nope! No. No way!" Percy pouted like a four-year-old, "I am _not_ a wizard." But the demigods' looks told him otherwise.

Annabeth cleared her throat, "We shouldn't tell anyone about this. Not yet, anyway. Our priority is restoring power to Hecate." Lou nodded, gratefully.

The campers trickled out, leaving Percy and Annabeth alone. Will stopped, as he got to the door.

"Nico didn't try it."

Nico's eyes widened, "I-I don't think I should. It's a bad idea, I…"

Percy looked at him, desperately, "C'mon, you have to try it! I can't be the only one!"

"I…"

"Nico," Will frowned, concerned, "What's wrong?"

"I…I've been having dreams," nervously, he checked the corridor, coming in and closing the door firmly behind him. He was talking quickly now, flushing, "About Bianca… at Hogwarts. I-I think she was a witch." He looked up through his hair, as though expecting them to laugh.

Will rubbed his temples, "If she was a witch, does that make you…?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to! You can't tell anyone about this!"

"Nico," Annabeth leaned forward, "What happens in these dreams?"

"I see Bianca in a Hogwarts uniform. She's getting the train, and then-" he opened his mouth as though he wanted to say more, but stopped abruptly, "That's it."

Will was watching him, intently, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! I-" Nico took a deep breath, "That's all I remember."

Annabeth watched them leave. Percy came over, burying his face in her hair.

"I just want to go to college in New Rome, with you," he complained, "I don't want to be a wizard!"

But he was and so, it seemed, was Nico. How much more complicated could this quest get?

And, more importantly, how much more could Percy take?

 **Sorry it's (a bit) late! I hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think of the story so far and remember to favourite/follow for more! Have a great weekend.**


	9. Chapter 9

Harry

The day of the first task arrived bright and early. Too early, for Harry. Blind panic plagued him as he trailed after McGonagall to the champions' tent, robes flapping in the breeze.

"Accio!" he rehearsed under his breath, gripping his wand tightly, " _Accio!_ "

He was trusting his fate against a fire-breathing monster to a spell he'd learnt just yesterday and while he'd managed to summon Neville's toad, Trevor, across the Gryffindor Common Room, the odds of him summoning his Firebolt from the other side of the grounds were seeming increasingly slim.

 _If it didn't work… If he couldn't do it…_

"Well, Potter," McGonagall's smile was painfully tight, "This is where I leave you. Good luck and do your best. We're all…" her voice shook a little, "We're all rooting for you."

"Thanks, Professor."

A tent had been erected in the clump of trees behind which, Harry knew, the dragons' enclosure would be clearly visible. Taking a deep breath, he went in.

Fleur Delacour was sitting in the corner on a low wooden stool. Her porcelain skin glistened with nervous sweat. Percy was pacing up and down, tapping what looked like an ordinary muggle pen against his leg but Harry knew it was his weapon disguised – a weapon with which he'd almost beheaded one of Hagrid's beloved Skrewts without batting an eyelash.

"How're you doing?" The muscles in Harry's face seemed to be working extra hard to smile.

Percy frowned. "I hate fighting for people's entertainment," he muttered.

"Erm, Percy, I don't think we're actually meant to-"

"Harry, good-oh!" said Bagman happily, looking like a cartoon character in his Wasp robes, "Now you're all here, time to fill you in! When the audience is assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag," – he shook a small sack of purple silk, beaming – "from which you will all select a model of the, ah… species of the thing you are about to face. And – oh, yes! - your task is to _retrieve the golden egg."_

Fleur nodded, tersely. Harry didn't trust himself to speak – he thought if he opened his mouth, he would probably be sick…

The universe must be playing a cruel joke on him, Harry thought, for time seemed to be slipping through his fingers and what felt like a minute later, the crowd could be heard rushing past the tent, laughing and joking. And then - it felt like no time at all - Bagman was offering Fleur the neck of the purple silk sack.

"Ladies first!"

Trembling, she reached in the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon – a Welsh Green – with the number "one" dangling on a chain around it's neck. The look of determined resignation on her face confirmed Harry's beliefs; Madame Maxine had told her what was coming.

Percy dipped his hand into the bag and came out with the scarlet Chinese Fireball, looking fearsome despite it's size. The dragon sported the number "three" and it snapped at Percy's fingers as he held him. Knowing what was left, Harry pulled out the Hungarian Horntail bearing the number "two", hating every inch of it from it's evil yellow eyes down to it's razor-sharp talons.

"Well, there you are!" said Bagman, grinning like a child on Christmas Day, "You've each pulled out the dragon you will face and the number around it's neck tells you the order! Just head outside when you hear the whistle. Now… Harry… can I have a quick word? Outside?"

"Erm, yes?" Harry answered in a voice that wasn't quite his own. He felt Percy's eyes on him as he followed Bagman outside.

"Feeling all right, Harry? Anything I can get you?"

"What? I – no, nothing."

"Some advice, then? I can share a few pointers, if you'd like. You're the underdog here, Harry! I want to help!"

"No," he knew he sounded rude, but he couldn't concentrate. His mind was elsewhere – namely with the giant dragon he was about to face, "Erm, I'm fine. Thanks."

A whistle shattered any hopes Harry harboured of escaping what was to come. The Tournament had started.

"Merlin's underpants, I've got to run!" Bagman bounded toward the stadium, "Good luck, Harry!"

As he walked back to the tent, Harry passed Fleur, trembling from head to toe. He tried to wish her good luck, but the words stuck in his throat.

Inside, Percy was surprisingly calm. He wandered back and forth, seemingly oblivious to the roar of the crowd that signalled Fleur's entrance to the enclosure. Harry watched him enviously, until he could bear it no longer:

"How do you do it?"

Percy stopped abruptly, "What?"

"I-I know you do stuff like this all the time - you know, fighting monsters and saving the world," The words spilled out of his mouth. His pride evaporated as he asked the question that was burning in his mind, "How do you not lose your head?"

"I've had experience," Percy considered his words carefully, like he wasn't used to being asked advice, "When I killed my first monster, I was terrified. But, most of the time, I had my friends with me… And there wasn't a big build-up, like this – monsters don't call me up and say, "How's next week for smashing your face in?" It's a heat of the moment thing."

Harry watched him, out of the corner of his eye, "So, you don't get scared anymore?"

Percy laughed but it was empty of joy, "No, I'm still terrified most of the time. When I was in… Tartarus, I've never been more afraid. Annabeth was dying, and I was scared of losing her and I was scared of losing myself, if I'm honest," For the first time, he met Harry's gaze, "Fear is a good thing, Harry. It keeps you and the ones you love alive."

They sat in thoughtful silence, both listening and not-listening to Bagman's commentary, which made everything so much worse.

"A good effort, on Miss Delacour's part!" Bagman was shouting, "And now for the marks!"

Harry stumbled to his feet, dimly aware of Percy wishing him luck. Harry played his words on repeat, squashing the panic rising in his chest.

 _Fear is a good thing… Fear is a good thing…_

It didn't feel like a good thing. It felt like dying; Molten terror clambered up his throat, choking him. A whistle was blown somewhere – it sounded very far away, to Harry.

 _Fear is a good thing…_

And with Percy's words echoing in his mind, he walked out to face what was to come.

Percy

Percy, too, repeated his advice in his head, wondering if he'd said the right thing.

 _Fear is a good thing, Harry. It keeps you and the ones you love alive._

That was true, in Percy's experience – he remembered the Aurai and how he'd fought to keep Annabeth safe. Without her to drive him on, he was sure he would've died long before that.

But sometimes Percy's strengths became his weaknesses… The memory of Akhlys was enough to make him taste bile. He'd been fighting for Annabeth then, too. People did terrible things for love, he realised, but that didn't make them any less terrible. He knew he would never forgive himself for becoming that monster, for however briefly or for whatever reason.

"Great Scott, he can fly!" he heard Bagman yell over the shrieking of the crowd.

Percy shuddered. Apparently, wizards could fly on broomsticks, like in the films. Harry had offered to teach him, but he had answered honestly that just the thought of flying made him want to puke.

A mighty roar punctured the air. Five minutes later, he heard the crowd erupt and knew that Harry had done it. It was his turn, now. The whistle sounded, drawing him sharply to his feet. Briefly, he touched Riptide in his pocket for reassurance before marching out into the enclosure…

The crowd was a blur. He couldn't see anything except the dragon in front of him; a great, scarlet beast that towered above the stands. It's face was rimmed with golden spikes, like a lion's mane, that gleamed in the sun, reminding Percy of the way Jason's gladius had glittered in the fields of Kansas before it almost killed him. The memory didn't improve his nerves and he pushed it away, uncapping Riptide.

"Come and get me, ya great brute!" he yelled, trying to make himself a target – a skill that, unfortunately, he'd had a lot of practice with.

He charged. The dragon reared it's ugly head and snorted a mushroom cloud of flames at him but Percy was ready; he rolled and was back on his feet before the blaze had spluttered out. Heat scorched the hairs on the back of his neck. He could see his prize, glittering amongst a clutch of gold-flecked real eggs… Ten metres away… Five… He could make it…

The dragon raked it's claws across his chest. The wounds stung like water from the river Phlegethon, but he ignored the pain, springing upward and clasping onto one of the Fireball's golden spikes. He swung himself around onto it's back, gripping tight to avoid slipping off the dragon's crimson scales.

The Fireball tossed it's head, frustrated. Percy's scratched chest screamed in protest as he was slammed against the dragon's side but there was nothing he could do except cling on for dear life. _This plan was short-sighted,_ he realised, and then: _Annabeth will kill me if I die…_

"That dragon's pretty angry," he heard one of the "handlers," mutter, nervously. He resisted the urge to bite back, _"No way! I hadn't noticed!"_

The dragon lurched forward, Percy swinging wildly from it's neck. The chains tethering it to the enclosure snapped like toilet paper, sending the audience reeling back in fear.

"That's not supposed to happen!" someone yelped.

 _Ares,_ Percy thought, bitterly. Dragons were the god's scared animal; Of course, they all hated him. _Where's Frank or Clarisse when you need them?_

"Percy!" Annabeth's voice rang out above the noise of the crowd, "the Nemean Lion! Remember the lion!"

Percy remembered _that_ monster, all right; he'd defeated it on his quest to find Annabeth… but how?

It's mouth. The lion's fur was impenetrable, like the dragon's scales, but it's mouth was it's weak spot. If only he could get the dragon to open it's mouth long enough to kill it…

Suddenly, he had an idea. Like most of his ideas, it was crazy, but it was also his only hope of surviving this. _Just once_ _I'd like to win a game that isn't life or death_.

It was now or never _._ He let go of the dragon's spike, plummeting toward the ground. The impact drove the air from his lungs, but he knew he couldn't stay still for longer than a second. Not yet, anyway. Scrambling to his feet, he dodged around the dragon's legs, vaulting over one of it's hooked talons until he was standing directly in the line of fire.

"Come on, then!" he shouted over the roar of the crowd, "Come and get me!"

He stared the dragon down, challenging it's status, encroaching on it's territory. The Fireball snarled, it's hot breath blowing Percy's hair back from his face.

"Move!" A voice that sounded suspiciously like Hermione's screamed, " _Move!_ "

But he didn't move. The dragon seemed to reach a decision. It's baleful glare said, _you'd taste better roasted._

A white-hot glow began from deep within the dragon's chest. It's breath became blistering, sucking all the moisture from the air.

" _Move!"_

The dragon opened it's giant maw. Percy could see flames licking at the back of it's throat, but he didn't wait to see just how much heat a son of Poseidon could handle. Silently dissing Ares, he threw Riptide, diving to the ground to avoid the blaze scorching the spot where he'd been standing. Any slower and he'd be Percy flambé.

The sword hit it's mark, lodging firmly in the roof of the dragon's mouth. The Fireball stumbled, leaving a path clear for Percy to sprint towards his prize. He was going to make it – he was reaching out – he had seized the golden egg-

And he was in the clear! He raised the egg above his head, dimly aware that the crowd had gone wild.

"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling, "The Champion's first-ever demigod has completed the task without magic, with a muggle weapon no less!"

The stands fell silent as the dragon-keepers rushed over to the injured Firebolt, several of them shooting Percy dirty looks. He felt a flicker of remorse before looking down at his own blood-soaked t-shirt.

"I had to… It would've killed me," he muttered apologetically, as a wide-eyed McGonagall ushered him toward the first-aid tent. Madame Pomfrey was dabbing furiously at his wounds when Annabeth, Will and Nico burst in, simultaneously shouting and congratulating him.

Annabeth glared at him, hands on hips, "That was your plan? Wave your sword about and hope for the best?"

"Uh… Pretty much, yeah," he opened his mouth to say more but Annabeth stopped him, abruptly shoving her mouth to his.

"Idiot," she scowled against his lips.

Will coughed, apologetically. "I healed the dragon. The judges aren't very happy, though," he shrugged, "You weren't supposed to hurt it. Apparently, dragons are endangered."

"C'mon," Nico rolled his eyes, "Let's get your scores."

Emerging once more into the enclosure, Percy was met by an even bigger cheer than before. Past the Fireball, now wreathed in bandages, he could see the judges on their gold-decked dais. He squinted up at them as the first judge – Madame Maxine – raised her wand in the air and traced a number in silver…

Zero. "For the endangerment of a magical creature," she explained above the protests of the crowds.

Bagman shrugged and gave him six out of ten, "since no real harm was done." Dumbledore and Crouch both gave him five.

Percy couldn't care less about his score; he'd been fighting for his life, not the judges' approval. Still, he would be lying if he said the crowd's disbelief – and not just his fellow demigods – wasn't gratifying. Maybe he had made some friends here, after all.

And if he could make friends, maybe their quest wasn't as doomed as he'd first thought.

 **I'm posting this earlier than I usually would due to the great response I've been getting. Almost 40 follows and I'm over the moon! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed this story so far - I love reading your comments and I'm always looking out to improve my storytelling skills. Don't forget to favourite/follow and let me know what you think. This is probably my favourite chapter so far and I can't wait to see if you agree!**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	10. Chapter 10

Nico

"To Percy!"

The demigods had gathered at the shore of the Great Lake to celebrate Percy's victory, leaving Gryffindor common room free for Harry and his friends. Greek fire crackled in a hastily dug pit, washing the beach in eerie, green light. Connor Stoll had led an expedition to the kitchens and returned laden with food and Butterbeer – a drink many of the half-bloods had taken a liking to – which were spread out on rich furs and blankets borrowed from the dormitories. Despite the shadows, the atmosphere was merry and sadly reminiscent of campfire singalongs at Camp Half-Blood.

"To Percy!" Nico chimed in with the toast, lounging on the sand a safe distance away from the slick water where, a minute ago, he could've sworn he'd seen a giant tentacle float to the surface.

Annabeth raised her glass, "And to the gods!" This was met by a half-hearted cheer. After all, what had the gods been up to lately? Not looking out for their kids, that was for sure.

From beside Will, Nico looked out at the silhouette of the school etched against the midnight sky. He wondered if Bianca had walked these grounds, swam in this lake, wandered the castle… She couldn't have been here longer than a year, but it was the closest he'd been to his sister since her death.

He had so many questions; What house had she been in? Who was Tom Riddle? What made him so special that Nico remembered him, almost a century later?

"Nico?" Will slung an arm around his shoulders, "Are you okay? You haven't eaten."

Nico wolfed down a pumpkin pasty as Percy called for attention, still clutching the egg.

"Go on then!" Connor urged, locked in a wrestling match with Paolo, "Open it!"

Percy grinned and prised open his trophy. A warm, yellow light spilled out, accompanied by the most horrible sound he had ever heard – a loud, screechy wailing that hammered against his eardrums. Nico hadn't heard anything like it since he'd caught his dad singing in the shower.

"Shut it!" he yelled.

"What?" Percy asked, seemingly unperturbed.

"Shut the egg!" Will snatched the prize from Percy's hands and snapped it closed.

Percy frowned, "What?"

"You didn't hear that?" Annabeth's voice was louder than usual or maybe that was just Nico's ears still ringing.

"I heard music."

" _Music?_ "

Annabeth took the egg from Will and passed it thoughtfully from hand to hand. She strode confidently toward the lake, kicking off her sneakers and marching purposefully into the dark water, distorting the moon's pale reflection.

"Uh, Annabeth?" Percy called, "You might not want to do that. There are some pretty nasty things in there… Earlier I sensed a giant squid and-" Annabeth disappeared under the surface, "Oh. Okay, then. Go for it."

The lake was lit up with dazzling, golden light as Annabeth cracked open the egg underwater. Muffled singing wafted out over the grounds and a moment later she surfaced, smiling triumphantly.

"Mer music," she explained, "That's why Percy can understand it and we can't. We can only hear it underwater."

"What did it say?" said Will.

Annabeth wrung out her t-shirt as she recited, "Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground."

"And while you're searching ponder this: we've taken what you'll sorely miss, an hour long you'll have to look, and to recover what we took, but past an hour – the prospect's black, too late, it's gone, it won't come back," Percy finished.

Nico grimaced, "That sounds like a prophecy." The other demigods murmured in agreement.

"No," Lou Ellen said, "It's a riddle, like the one to get inside our common room."

Chiara nodded, "The first line makes sense; they're merpeople, they can't sing above ground."

"But what about what they'll take?" Percy ran a hand through his hair, distressed, "How will I find it?"

 _Come seek us where our voices sound…_

Nico grinned, "Percy! The last task is underwater!"

Annabeth was the first to get it; "Of course, it must be in the lake… which means it will be a piece of cake for you, Percy!"

The demigods laughed. The wizards had no idea what was coming for them…

Harry

"Mr Jackson!" Professor Trelawney's normally whimsical voice was heavy with annoyance, "I would think that you, in particular, would like to see what your future holds so might I suggest _paying attention!_ "

"What?" Percy's head snapped up, "Oh. Sorry, professor."

He had been acting gloomy since the Gryffindors' Care of Magical Creatures lesson that morning when Hagrid had confiscated his sword. He insisted it was so he wouldn't attack any more Skrewts, but Harry suspected it might have something to do with the dragon Percy had very nearly killed. The demigod had confessed that the sword had reappeared in his pocket a few minutes later, though he still seemed upset at Hagrid's sudden coldness.

Usually, double Divination was Harry's worst nightmare but since becoming friends with Ron again he'd felt like nothing could bring him down. They'd spent the afternoon sniggering over their star charts and coming up with more and more absurd tragedies that would befall them in coming weeks.

"Uh… I think that's Saturn over there," Nico was saying, squinting at his map.

Percy groaned, "Can we _not_ talk about him?"

Nico and Percy had partnered up, since Professor Trelawney had dragged Will to the front and forced him to stare into a large, crystal ball for the entire lesson.

"What did you see?" Harry asked him, once they'd finally escaped the unbearable heat of the Divination classroom. He was only half joking; from what the demigods had told him, prophecies were very real, and seers actually existed – Professor Trelawney just wasn't one.

Will smirked, wrapping an arm around Nico, "A very handsome face." The son of Hades just rolled his eyes, though his mouth twitched a little as Will kissed his cheek.

Just then, Annabeth ran up to them, her Ancient Runes book clasped to her chest, "Hey guys, how was Divination?"

They were silent for a moment before laughing. "Awful," Percy admitted with a rueful grin.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I have no idea," she confessed, "I looked for her after class, but she just disappeared. I wanted to talk to her about the homework. Do you guys know where she might be?"

"The library." Harry and Ron both said immediately.

But Hermione wasn't in the library, or in the Great Hall. Harry and Ron had just sat down by the fire in the Gryffindor common room with Percy and Annabeth when she burst in, panting.

"Harry!" she cried, skidding to a halt beside them, "Harry, you have to see – oh, it's wonderful, Harry! You have to come!"

"What is it?"

"Come _on!_ " She dragged him out by his hand and the others followed, intrigued.

They hurried after her down through six floors, across the marble Entrance Hall and (after Harry had finally shaken his hand free) down a flight of stone steps. They were now in a wide, brightly lit corridor with a polished stone floor and wooden rafters framing the ceiling. The paintings were unusually quiet for Hogwarts, as they were all still lifes of food.

"Hermione…" Harry said, slowing down. He recognised the picture she had stopped in front of – a silver framed painting of pears – from Fred's description, "This isn't about spew, is it?"

"No!" she cried defensively, tickling one of the painting's pears, "And for the last time, Harry, it's not spew, it's-" She was stopped as the painting sprang open and out hurled a small, brightly coloured creature, flinging itself straight at Harry.

"Harry! Harry Potter!"

" _Dobby?"_

"Dobby?" Percy asked doubtfully as the house elf ushered them inside.

The school kitchen was as large as the Great Hall above it, with a vaulted ceiling and an enormous brick fireplace at one end. Stacks of gleaming brass pots and pans towered over the tiny elves as they worked, and the room was filled with delicious smells Harry hoped was dinner.

"Dobby, what are you doing here?" he asked in amazement.

The house elf was almost unrecognisable. His filthy pillowcase had been replaced with children's football shorts, a horse-shoe patterned tie and a tea cosy for a hat, crammed over his bat ears. Odd socks stretched up his skinny legs, one of them was Harry's own black sock – the one he had tricked Mr Malfoy into giving Dobby, setting him free – though it had clearly been washed since it's trip through the Chamber of Secrets.

"Dobby is working here, sir!" Dobby squealed, happily, "Professor Dumbledore is giving Dobby and Winky jobs at Hogwarts, sir!"

"Uh – Dobby, is it?" Percy said, "I don't mean to be rude but what-what exactly _are_ you?" Annabeth elbowed him, but Dobby didn't seem offended. In fact, he seemed honoured that Percy had spoken to him.

"Dobby is a free elf, sir!" he squeaked, "Dobby is hearing of you, sir – you is a demigod and a friend of Harry Potter!"

"What do you mean, a _free_ elf?" Annabeth asked.

Hermione flushed with anger, "House elves are like the wizarding world's slaves. It's horrible. They're not paid and most of them are treated really badly-"

"Not Dobby, though!" The house elf's tennis-ball eyes shone with happiness, "Dobby is paid one galleon a week and gets one day off a month!"

"That's not very much!" she argued.

"Dumbledore offered Dobby ten galleons a week and weekends off, but Dobby isn't wanting too much, miss. Dobby likes freedom, miss, but he likes work better!"

Before Hermione could protest further, Harry changed the subject, "Dobby, did you say Winky was here too?"

"Winky?" Annabeth asked.

"Mr Crouch's house elf."

"Ex-house elf." Ron corrected.

"Dobby will show you!" said the elf, and he seized Harry's hand and led him further into the kitchen, between four long wooden tables, each of which mimicked the position of the house tables above. Harry guessed that when it was time for meals, food was placed on the tables and magically transported through the ceiling to the Great Hall.

Dobby stopped in front of the brick fireplace where an elf sat, crumpled on a stool. Winky's once-tidy maid uniform was in rags and a bottle of Butterbeer was clutched in her bony hand.

"Hello, Winky."

Winky's tiny body quivered all over. Then she burst into tears, splashing down her front.

"Would Harry Potter's friends like some tea?" Dobby asked loudly over Winky's sobs.

"Uh, yeah. Please." Harry said.

Instantly, an elf trotted over carrying a silver tray with a pot of tea and mugs for each of them. Another elf appeared with a plate of biscuits which Percy and Ron immediately inhaled.

"We should go," Annabeth said to Percy. He sighed regretfully, cheeks bulging with food, "Will and Nico will be wondering where we are."

The elf carrying the tray let it slip suddenly, sending five mugs and a teapot crashing to the stone floor. "Nico? Nico di Angelo?"

"Yes," Harry frowned, "Why? Have you met him?"

The elf spoke quickly, as though afraid of being stopped, "I is serving at Hogwarts many years, sir. There was a di Angelo here, a long time ago, before Mister Dumbledore was headmaster… She was kind to the elves, sir. She spoke about her little brother, Nico. I heard-I heard a Nico di Angelo had come to Hogwarts, but I thought… It's not possible…"

Percy knelt, speaking urgently now, "Her name was Bianca, wasn't it?"

"Yes, sir. Bianca di Angelo, very kind... but she disappeared after first year, sir. I is never seeing her again."

Percy and Annabeth exchanged looks, seemingly reaching a unanimous decision. "We have to find Nico," he said, striding toward the door, "Now."

"But… it's not possible," Hermione pointed out, jogging to keep up with the demigods, "Dumbledore's been headmaster for ages. Nico can't be the brother of someone who was alive almost a century ago."

Percy bit his lip, "I'll let Nico explain; it's not my secret to tell." He smiled apologetically at several elves trying to push various cakes into his hands as they said a hasty goodbye to Dobby and left to find the son of Hades…

 **Hermione**

"Wait," Ron said thickly (his mouth was full of cream cake from the kitchens), "So, you're telling us that you're from the 1940s?"

Nico nodded warily, "Yes."

"And this girl – Bianca – she was your sister?"

"Yes."

"But she's…" Ron trailed off, eyes darting across the common room to where Ginny sat, laughing with her friends.

"She's dead." Nico confirmed.

Hermione gulped back her sympathy, she knew Nico wouldn't it.

"I'm so sorry." She said, hoping he would sense the genuine emotion behind those three meaningless words.

"It's okay," he stared out the window at the lake, glittering in the distance, "I mean, it was a long time ago. I miss her, obviously… but I got over it."

"Yeah, after he tried to kill me!" said Percy with a pained expression.

Nico sighed, exasperated, "I _told_ you, I wasn't trying to kill you, I-" his voice caught, and he shook his head, looking down.

"Well, I think that's enough for one night," Annabeth said, briskly. She nudged Percy, "I'm tired, aren't you?"

"No… Oh-oh, yeah. Really tired."

Hermione forced a smile, "You're right, we should go to bed. Harry? Ron?"

They exchanged baffled glances – it was only 10 o'clock – and she rolled her eyes at their ignorance.

"Bed. Now." She told them, dragging them across the common room with Percy and Annabeth close behind.

"Night, guys."

"Night!"

"G'night."

The boys wandered up one staircase and Hermione followed Annabeth up the other, leaving Nico and Will alone by the fire. The room was cloaked in shadows but the darkest one of all was Nico's face as she tore her gaze away from the couple and headed upstairs to bed.

 **So not much happened in this chapter but I hope you enjoyed anyway. There will be a bit more drama in the next chapter. I finally got 40 follows and I'm so happy! Thanks to everyone who's given me feedback (ohmygods, Okurdek, Risa Silvara, aRTsyisAwesome, Nolifeking222, Geni Blaze, Matt, Anonymous, Guest, TheLoungeRoom, Solangelo4ever and - you're all awesome and I'm glad you're enjoying the story!) Keep letting me know what you think everyone.**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	11. Chapter 11

**Harry**

"Attention, students!" McGonagall rapped her wand against the desk, drawing the Gryffindor fourth years' interest away from the guinea-fowl they were attempting to transform into guinea-pigs, "I have something to say to you all, regarding the Triwizard Tournament."

Students sat up straighter, looking curious. At the back of the room, Percy's eyes asked a silent question. Harry shrugged in response, as in the dark as the rest of the class.

"The Yule Ball, a traditional part of the Tournament, is approaching. The ball will be open to fourth-years and above, although you may invite a younger student if you wish-"

Several girls giggled shrilly, and McGonagall silenced them with a glare before continuing, "Dress robes will be worn," – _"Dress robes?"_ Percy mouthed – "and the ball will start at 8 o'clock on Christmas Day. Now, the Yule Ball is an opportunity for us all to – er – let our hair down, but please note that I will be seriously displeased if _any_ Gryffindor," she stared deliberately at the demigods, "embarrasses the school."

The bell rang, and the class dissolved into excited chatter. At least, the girls were excited – the boys seemed mostly resigned.

McGonagall's voice rang above the noise, "Potter, Jackson… A word, please?"

Exchanging wary glances, they shuffled forward to the desk as the rest of the class left. The other demigods shuffled reluctantly out of the door, Annabeth looking back worriedly at Percy.

"Now, then, the champions and their partners-"

" _Partners?_ Harry's insides seemed to shrivel up as he gaped at his teacher. Beside him, Percy was smirking.

"Yes, Potter," McGonagall continued slowly, as though he were stupid, "Your partners… for the dance."

Now it was Percy's turn to splutter, "Dance?"

"As I was saying, traditionally, the champions and their partners open the ball."

"I'm not dancing." Harry said.

"Oh, yes you are," McGonagall said firmly, "The Yule Ball gives us a chance to socialise with our foreign guests. Percy, it gives you the opportunity to further your quest, or have you forgotten why you're here?"

"No, but-"

"Since you've both been sorted into Gryffindor, I expect you both to do what is required of you as school champions. Do you understand?"

"But-"

" _Do you understand?"_

Harry and Percy sighed hopelessly.

"Yes, Professor."

A week later, Harry had decided that he'd rather have another round with the Horntail than ask a girl to the Ball. Not that there was any shortage of them; they were _everywhere._ It was amazing how many girls Hogwarts seemed to hold that Harry had never noticed before.

"It's easy for you," he complained to Percy, at breakfast on the last day of term, "You've got a girlfriend."

"Yep," he grinned smugly, his arm draped across Annabeth's shoulders.

"Well, go on then," Ron urged, "How'd you get her – uh, sorry, Annabeth – how'd he get you to go out with him?"

She laughed, "It took him five years. You've got two weeks. Maybe Percy isn't the best person to ask for dating advice."

"What about you, Nico?" Harry asked desperately, "How did you and Will start dating?"

"I almost died," he groaned.

"Twice!" Will corrected, ruffling his already messy hair.

The demigods faced a different problem: dress robes. They were currently scouring through the pages of Witch Weekly and the Daily Prophet for something suitable to order.

"We just have to grit our teeth and do it," Ron said with the air of someone about to take on a troll, "By the end of the day, we'll both have partners – agreed?"

"Er… ok."

And he meant it, he really did…

 **Nico**

"How about these?" Will joked, pointing out a set of maroon, frilly robes that looked like something his stepmother, Persephone, might wear to a funeral.

"How about no?"

Will was only trying to cheer him up, he knew. Since finding out about Bianca, he saw her everywhere. He found himself unconsciously checking the names on trophies for his sister's and picturing her in classes, covered in soot in Potions or falling asleep in Divination… Missing her was becoming exhausting but Nico couldn't escape the memory.

And it wasn't just him; as excitement in the castle ramped up for Christmas – and the Yule Ball – the demigods were descending into melancholy. They'd been here almost half a year, now, and they were still no closer to completing their quest.

"Incoming," Will muttered.

Nico looked up and groaned inwardly. Sir Nick – or Nearly-Headless Nick as everyone else seemed to call him – was floating through the Gryffindor table towards them. Unlike Professor Binns who was terrified of Nico and surrendered his class easily, Nick had taken to treating him like royalty, a reality that quickly became annoying.

"Demigods of Camp Half-Blood!" he cried grandly, attracting attention from the other house tables, "Professor Dumbledore has asked me to escort you to his office, after breakfast!"

"Thank you, Nea-Sir Nicholas." Will managed to keep a straight face.

"I wonder what Dumbledore wants?" Percy mumbled through a mouthful of bacon.

Nico shrugged, standing up to follow their ghostly guide who was waiting not-so-patiently in the middle of a plate of pancakes.

The demigods at the other tables scrambled to follow as they left the Great Hall ("And all the food!" Percy complained) and followed the ghost to the third floor where he stopped in front of a particularly grumpy-looking gargoyle.

"Cockroach Cluster!" Nick said pompously. The gargoyle jumped aside, and the ghost ushered them onto the staircase which began to move slowly upwards, taking them to a narrow landing where a polished oak door with a brass knocker stood already open.

"Come in!" Dumbledore called from inside.

Dumbledore's office was a large and beautiful circular room with any number of strange, silver contraptions whirring away on spindle-legged tables. Portraits snoozed in grand frames, their chests rising and falling gently.

"Welcome!" smiled Dumbledore, from his desk. A beautiful golden bird perched on his shoulder and Nico thought he saw it wink, "I have a surprise for you."

Annabeth was the first to speak. "What kind of surprise?" she asked, cautiously. Surprise in demigod language usually went along the lines of, "Surprise! It's your turn to die!" or "Surprise! A bunch of monsters are invading your camp!"

"Christmas is a time for family," the headmaster's eyes twinkled, "And since you can't see yours's…" he walked over to a small, rounded object on one of the tables and tapped it with his wand. It began to whistle, emitting a fine mist that settled on Nico's face, making him blink. The vapour caught the light, creating a rainbow that arched over their heads.

"What? Oh!" Percy rummaged in his pocket for a drachma, "Uh… Oh, Fleecy, do me a solid -" he ignored the strange looks from his fellow demigods, "– show us Chiron at Camp Half-Blood."

The mist shimmered, forming a picture – the rec room at camp. At least two dozen demigods came into view, waving madly, with Chiron at the front in his wheelchair. Piper and Leo were there with Reyna and Jason, Percy's cyclops brother Tyson, the Victor twins, Cecil, Katie, Travis…

"It's good to see you!" Percy grinned.

"Nico!" Reyna demanded, "How do you get yourself in so much trouble?"

"I'm fine," he said seriously, "How are things there?"

Chiron's expression became grave, "Not good. The Mist has failed completely. Camp Jupiter is too visible – the Romans have moved here, but there are more and more attacks each day and the mortals are beginning to question the alarming number of "UFO" sightings… Please, tell me you've made some progress."

The demigods exchanged guilty looks. They'd been planning what to wear for a ball while their friends fought for their lives.

"We're working on it Chiron," Percy promised, "We just need time…"

"And we'll give you as much as we can," Reyna said.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Chiron, you know if Camp Half-Blood is no longer safe your students are welcome here. Your people are always welcome at Hogwarts."

"Thank you, my old friend," the centaur smiled tiredly, "But I'm afraid we cannot move so far from the gods' source of power, lest we risk all of them fading…"

 _Would that be such a bad thing?_ Nico wondered but quickly dismissed the thought. The gods were annoying, but they were also his family. Without them, he wouldn't have Hazel, or Will. Not to mention, he would never have been born.

They spoke some more about camp and Christmas, and the monsters and the Mist. Finally, Chiron swiped his hand through the mist with a weary, "Goodbye," and the demigods turned to leave Dumbledore's office, muttering their thanks.

"Nico," Will nudged him, whispering, "Ask Dumbledore."

"Ask Dumbledore what?"

"About Bianca."

He swallowed. Dumbledore might have the answers he so badly wanted, but if he recognised the name di Angelo he hadn't said anything, and Nico didn't want to risk anyone else knowing that he might be… that he could be…

 _I'm not,_ he told himself fiercely, _I'm not a wizard._ But his nightmares told him otherwise and judging by Will's face, he wouldn't be able to escape talking about it for much longer.

 **Unknown**

"Did you get the blood I asked for?"

"Yes, my lord. I retrieved it after the First Task."

The Dark Lord hummed in content, "Good. Now, give it to Wormtail for testing."

Peter Pettigrew took the vial from the wizard's outstretched hand, holding it gingerly.

"Excuse me, my lord," he said, nervously wetting his lips, "What exactly am I testing it _for_?"

"It doesn't matter!" Voldemort rasped, "All that matters is that you get the results to me immediately!"

"Yes, my lord," Wormtail scampered into the darkness, leaving Voldemort to ponder his plan.

"Yes," he mused, "I have Percy Jackson right where I want him."

"My lord, I don't understand," the wizard said impatiently, "The Imperius curse doesn't work on them, how will you control him?"

"I don't need a spell to make Jackson do my bidding. He is weak, but I will make him strong. Now, the second task is coming up soon, yes?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Good," Voldemort smirked, "I have some special instructions for you…"

 **Bad news! I'm going on holiday so won't be able to update until next Sunday. Don't worry, I haven't given up on the story (I'm enjoying it too much!), I'm just stuck camping in the middle of nowhere with my parents! I would love to have 50 follows by the time I get back so if you haven't already, please follow the story and review/PM me what you think! I'm going to start replying to reviews individually as I really appreciate the feedback and want everyone to know that it doesn't go unnoticed. Have a great week!**

 **Okurdek - I love the idea of the mermaids being aligned to Oceanus! Whatever happens, I'm planning on making the second task a little more challenging for Percy than people might think at first. I've noticed that you've reviewed a few times and want you to know that I love hearing what you think and I'm really glad you're enjoying the story. Keep reading!**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm back from camp! This chapter is a fun one written entirely from Percy's POV. Enjoy!**

 **Percy**

He was in a churchyard. Graves jutted out of the ground, like jagged teeth along the horizon. At his feet, a boy writhed in agony.

"Kill him," a voice rasped from the shadows.

The boy screamed, dark hair falling back from his pale face as his back arched. It was Harry.

"Kill him!"

"What? No!" Riptide was in his hand, the point straining toward Harry's heart. _Someone_ was controlling it. His hand was shaking with the effort of keeping his own sword from killing his friend.

"To protect your friends, to save your precious Mist… all you have to do is kill him." _It_ hissed, "Do it!"

"No!" he fought to keep Riptide from piercing Harry's flesh, but it was too strong. He raised the sword, ready to drive it through his friend's chest, to see the blood stain his dark robes darker, to watch The Boy Who Lived finally die…

It was him. He wasn't enchanted. He was killing Harry.

The sword trembled in the air and Harry watched, helpless. _"Fight back!"_ he wanted to scream, _"Use your wand!"_ but part of him knew it was useless. His friend was too weak.

His chest heaved. Sweat dribbled into his eyes, blinding him, and he felt the sword dip toward Harry, the darker part of his mind taking advantage of his momentary loss of concentration. Any moment now, he would feel it plunge through Harry's heart…

"No!"

He was awake. Drenched in sweat in the Gryffindor common room, and he wasn't alone; his friends crowded around him, looking worried.

"Are you okay?" Annabeth asked, sitting down on the bed beside him, "Nico called me when you started screaming."

"Y-yeah, I'm fine… Bad dream," he forced a smile, looking past her at Harry who was rubbing his scar and frowning.

Annabeth looked at him for a long moment, like he was a logic puzzle she was trying to solve, before finally smiling, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Merry Christmas, Seaweed Brain."

Christmas at Hogwarts was no joke. His presents were wrapped in paper patterned with moving surfing santas, waving and smiling from their candy cane striped surfboards. Harry, Ron and Hermione had given him sweets – Chocolate Frogs, Fizzing Whizzbees and something called Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans – Annabeth, his own Gryffindor scarf so he wouldn't have to steal her's – Nico, a year's supply of dungbombs and Will, an annoying Santa hat that spouted wizarding versions of Christmas carols (God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriff?). Even Hagrid got him a gift; a book titled, _Dragons, Overcoming Stereotypes and Looking to the Heart Beneath the Scales._

The Great Hall looked amazing, with a dozen towering Christmas trees and festoons of holly and mistletoe, and the food was even better – a hundred fat, roast turkeys oozing rich gravy, buttered peas and mountains of boiled and roasted potatoes. Christmas at Camp Half-Blood was a subdued affair (the gods were bitter that Christianity was more popular than them) but the teachers at Hogwarts really went all out.

"We need to talk," said Annabeth, sliding her brussels sprouts into a nearby brazier, "About camp."

Percy grimaced, "I know. They're in trouble. I just… I don't have any more ideas." Since defeating the dragon, most wizards seemed to have at least accepted that they were something different but although many of the students had started sacrificing their food at mealtimes, he could see in their eyes they didn't really believe in what they were doing. Somehow, they had to show them – this was real.

"I do. I've spoken to Jason and he thinks a shrine to Hecate here at Hogwarts could help."

He nodded, the idea slowly catching on, "Lou Ellen could help design it, somewhere visible… like the Great Hall."

"I also think we need to teach something other than history." She winced, as though acknowledging that facts alone might not be enough to turn the wizards' heads was physically painful.

"Like what?"

"Like sword fighting," she said, speaking loudly over the sounds of wizarding crackers exploding up and down the table, "Right now, they think it's all fun or games. Give them a sword and maybe they'll realise how serious we are."

"Do you think Dumbledore will approve?" he asked, remembering what the headmaster had told him after the Daily Prophet photoshoot. Did teaching fourteen-year-olds to fight with real weapons during their history classes count as reckless endangerment of the students?

Probably.

Annabeth grinned, "Who cares?"

After lunch, they went out into the grounds for a snowball fight with Harry and his friends. They finally returned when it was too dark to aim, dripping wet and shivering. Reaching the Gryffindor common room, Annabeth (the undisputed winner of the match) kissed him and went upstairs to get ready for the Ball.

"We should probably get changed too," Ron said, glumly.

Percy's dress robes were black with a white shirt and tie and - he was relieved to see - not too different from the other boys' (except Ron's, who's robes looked more like a dress than anything else.) Nico was wearing the black toga he'd worn for senate meetings at Camp Jupiter, having point-blank refused to buy anything from Witch Weekly, and Will had decided to join him in the Greek/Roman style, a laurel wreath perched atop his glowing head.

Annabeth was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs, looking stunning in a toga made of silvery grey material. Unlike the other girls waiting nervously in the common room, her face was free of makeup and her blonde hair was loose and freshly brushed.

"Lavender lent me these shoes," she frowned at her feet in their strappy, silver sandals that looked more stylish than practical. Percy bit back the urge to laugh; he'd never seen Annabeth in anything but her beaten-up sneakers.

"You look amazing," he assured her.

"Shall we go down then? Harry asked, in a voice that sounded like he was suggesting they go down to their executions. Parvati Patil was hanging off his arm in shocking pink robes, looking very pleased with herself.

They went down to the Entrance Hall, which was packed with students in brightly coloured robes, looking for their dates amongst the crowds.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron scowled, staring over the heads of the crowd. Hermione had assured them she had a date and while he hadn't said anything, Percy suspected it might be a certain Brazilian Gryffindor.

"Champions over here, please!" McGonagall's voice rang above the noise of the crowd.

He offered Annabeth his arm, "Shall we?"

McGonagall ordered them to wait to the side of the doors while everyone else went inside. Percy distracted himself by watching the crowd as they flooded past him, catching glimpses of his demigod friends amongst the wizards. There was Chiara Benvenuti and Damien White, going together as "friends," (the others had seen straight through that lie), Sherman Yang with his girlfriend Miranda Gardiner, Will and Nico, Lou Ellen with Connor Stoll and Ellis Wakefield with a girl from Beauxbatons. Hermione strode past beaming on the arm of Paolo Montes, much to Harry's astonishment, and Ron trailed after with Parvati's twin, Padma from Ravenclaw.

At last, McGonagall told the champions and their partners to line up in pairs and follow her. The Hall shimmered with sparkling silver frost and the ceiling reflected the starry night outside as they walked past a hundred lantern-lit tables where students applauded. Percy's stomach rumbled as they approached the top table, but the gold plates were empty, glittering in the candlelight.

"I wish I had my invisibility cap right now," Annabeth muttered, "Everyone's looking!"

Dumbledore smiled happily as they sat down on either side of the judges. Madame Maxine clapped politely, looking regal in robes of lavender silk, and Bagman whooped, though Mr Crouch was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Percy ended up next to a ginger-haired boy with a smug expression who introduced himself as Percy Weasley.

"Ron's brother?" he asked, surprised.

The boy looked annoyed to be referred to as "Ron's brother," but he nodded, "Yes. I'm also Mr Crouch's personal assistant, I'm here representing him. Mr Crouch isn't well, unfortunately – overwork."

He looked like he might say more but Annabeth interrupted, "Percy – sorry, _Perseus_ ," she corrected when both boys turned to look at her. The Percy in question scowled at the use of his full name, "Aren't you going to eat anything?"

He looked at his plate. It was still empty.

"They work like the plates at Camp," she explained, picking up a small menu and saying clearly to her plate, "Goulash!"

Immediately, her dish filled with a rich stew. Percy didn't know what goulash was, so he ordered porkchops.

"Poseidon," he muttered, reluctantly scraping half his plate into the silver brazier Dumbledore had provided.

"Ah, yes," Other Percy said disdainfully, "I've heard about your _gods._ "

"Good," he mumbled around a mouthful of pork, "That's why we're here."

After helping themselves to seconds (and thirds, in Percy's case), Dumbledore stood and asked the students to do the same. With a wave of his wand, he sent the tables and chairs flying back against the walls taking a very surprised Neville with them. Then he conjured a stage, complete with a set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello and some bagpipes.

An extremely hairy group trooped onto the stage and introduced themselves as the Weird Sisters. The lanterns at the other tables fizzled out and the other champions and their partners stood.

"Come on!" Annabeth hissed, "We're supposed to dance."

"Oh, Hades."

The Weird Sisters struck up a slow, mournful tune and Percy grabbed Annabeth's waist awkwardly. She rolled her eyes, adjusting his hands and started turning slowly on the spot. It reminded him of the last time they'd danced together, at a party on Olympus after Annabeth had been kidnapped and his gaze lingered on the spot where her hair had once been streaked with grey.

"What are you thinking?" she whispered, looking up at him.

He grinned, "I'm thinking I'm glad that I'm finally taller than you."

The song ended with a final, quavering note and the crowd applauded as the Weird Sisters struck up a much faster tune. Percy kept his arm around Annabeth as they threaded their way through the crowds away from the dance floor, past Paolo who was twirling Hermione around exuberantly without seeming to notice the other couples backing hastily away from them.

As they reached the table, Percy noticed Ron glaring in Paolo's direction and frowned. Harry sat beside him, chatting awkwardly with Parvati while Padma sat on the other side of Ron with her arms crossed.

"How's it going?" Harry asked as they pulled up chairs, seemingly relieved at the distraction.

The image of Harry from his dream flashed across Percy's mind but he pushed it quickly away.

"It's fun. Annabeth's a better dancer than me, though," he admitted, and she smirked.

"It's true."

Within minutes, a boy from Beauxbatons had asked her to dance. Annabeth politely refused, and he immediately went on to ask Parvati who – after a brief glance at Harry – agreed and practically dragged him onto the dance floor. When the song ended, she did not return, and her seat was taken by a very pink-faced Hermione.

"It's hot, isn't it?" she said, fanning herself, "Paolo's gone to get us some drinks."

Ron gave her a withering look, which Annabeth noticed and quickly got to her feet, pulling Percy up with her.

"Come on, Hermione. Percy and I will come with you to find Paolo."

"We will? I mean – sure, we will."

They edged around the dance floor. Hermione glanced back at Ron, bewildered.

"What's up with him?" she wondered.

"Hermione," Annabeth explained patiently, "He's _jealous_."

She flushed, "No, he's not!"

Percy opened his mouth to agree that Ron didn't look jealous – he looked pissed off. But then he remembered Rachel and how touchy Annabeth had acted around her for ages before they got together. Later, he realised it was because she had a crush on him. "Annabeth's right, Hermione," he said, marvelling at his girlfriend's ability to read people so easily.

The witch went the colour of Parvati's robes but didn't say anything. They found Paolo beside a fountain spouting Butterbeer with Nico and Will, laughing.

"Hey!" he grinned at Hermione as they approached, and Percy started; he realised he'd never heard Paolo speak English, except when he was angry.

They talked for a little bit, before Paolo and Hermione decided to dance some more and Will forced Nico to do the same.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we?" Annabeth suggested, taking his arm again.

Together they slipped out into the Entrance Hall. The front doors stood open, spilling warm light onto the lawn and real fairies twinkled in the rose bushes as they wandered hand in hand down the drive. Water gurgled in a nearby fountain and students sat on stone benches scattered around, talking quietly amongst themselves.

They'd just set off down one of the winding paths through the garden when they heard a familiar voice.

"Did you know?" Ron was asking in a strangled whisper, "About Hagrid being half-giant?"

"Hagrid's half-giant?" Percy echoed, a little too loudly.

Ron stepped out from behind one of the bushes, followed closely by Harry who looked furious.

"How long have you been listening?" he demanded.

Annabeth spoke soothingly, "We just got here."

"There's nothing wrong with Hagrid," Harry insisted, glaring at each of them in turn.

"Harry," Ron swallowed, " _I_ know that, and _you_ know that, but giants… they're just vicious."

"There aren't any good giants?"

"Yes," Annabeth said immediately, and Percy looked away, remembering Damasen, "There are good giants."

Ron still looked doubtful, but Harry nodded encouragingly, "Well, Hagrid's one of them. It doesn't matter if his mother was a giantess!"

"The parents would go mental!" Ron argued.

"Then we won't tell anyone, agreed?"

They all agreed, and Harry and Ron went back inside, still discussing giants. Percy and Annabeth remained in the garden long after the party ended, reminiscing softly about Damasen and Bob and gazing at the stars, remembering how lucky they were to be under them.

 **Hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think! IMPORTANT: I'm not sure if the spacing between paragraphs is correct. Have any of you noticed and, if so, can you let me know what I can do to fix it? Thanks and I will update in a few days. Hope everyone had a great Sunday and is enjoying the holidays!**

 **Okurdek - Once again, thanks for being so supportive! I think this chapter gave you a taste of how exactly Voldemort intends to make Percy "strong" and you were very, very close. More will be revealed soon... ;)**

 **aRTsyisAwesome - Glad you're intrigued. I don't want to reveal too much but Percy was injured in the First Task so I think it's safe to say there was a fair bit of his blood lying around... About the demigods at Hogwarts slacking off, I realised this as I was writing which is why I wrote the Iris Message as a slap in the face to the characters as well as a reminder to myself of where the story is going. Percy wants to help Harry but his main priority is saving his home which you will see more of in the next few chapters. Thank you so much for your review! Keep reading!**

 **Reem Balout - I PMed you but just to confirm I am definitely planning on finishing the story. I hope you do become attached - it means the story's good! Let me know if you do decide to read it.**

 **Thanks once again to everyone who has followed/favourited the story. Over 50 followers! Thank you so much for your support!**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 is up! Hope you enjoy. Disclaimer: I struggled writing this chapter so I relied on the books more than I normally would. If any sentences feel familiar, it's probably because I was following JK Rowling's work particularly closely at that point but I try not to copy anything.**

Annabeth

Annabeth cleared her throat, drawing the class' attention away from the enchanted paper planes battling overhead.

"Today we're going to be trying something new," she said. The class stirred eagerly – "new," and History of Magic didn't often go together, "We're going to be teaching you how to fight monsters, like this one."

She nodded at Percy who whistled loudly. The shadows in the room darkened and out bounded his hellhound, Mrs O'Leary.

"Merlin's underpants!" someone yelled. The class scrambled backward, tripping over each other in their haste to get away from the beast who was currently slobbering all over her owner.

"Down, Mrs O'Leary!" Percy struggled to escape the hellhound's grasp.

"As you can see, Mrs O'Leary is a friend," the class stared at her incredulously, "so we won't be fighting her, but Percy wanted you all to see the kind of monster you might end up facing. Since some spells don't work on demigods, I think we can assume they don't work on our enemies, so we'll be teaching you to fight with weapons."

Hermione raised her hand tentatively, "Like Percy's sword?"

"Exactly! Any volunteers?"

Nobody moved.

"Ron?"

Ron shook his head vigorously.

"Lavender?"

The witch in question squealed and ducked behind Parvati.

"I'll do it," Harry stepped forward. Nico took Mrs O'Leary for a walk while Percy showed him how to hold Riptide.

"Ready?" Annabeth asked, drawing her drakon bone sword.

"But-" Before he could finish, Annabeth struck the weapon from his hand and sent it spinning across the stone floor.

"Rule one; always be ready."

By the end of the lesson, they could all hold their weapons correctly. They still had a long way to go but it was a start, at least.

Snow was still thick upon the grounds which was exciting for the demigods who'd lived their entire lives in New York, where snow melted into slush within mere hours of falling. The Southern demigods found the prolonged cold disconcerting though and Paolo especially had taken to walking everywhere in a thick, fur-lined cloak.

"At least the Skrewts will warm us up a bit," Ron muttered as they trudged to Hagrid's cabin for Care of Magical Creatures.

But when they arrived at Hagrid's cabin, they found an elderly witch with closely-cropped grey hair and a very prominent chin in place of their giant (or half-giant, as they'd recently discovered) friend.

"Hurry, now!" she barked, "The bell rang five minutes ago!"

Harry stopped abruptly. "Who are you?"

"I'm Professor Grubbly-Plank, your temporary Care of Magical Creatures professor."

"Where's Hagrid?"

"He is indisposed," she said shortly.

Annabeth felt a twinge of worry as the Slytherins at the back snickered softly. Hagrid wasn't exactly fond of the demigods with their habit of killing monsters he believed were "misunderstood," but he was a good guy and she didn't want anything to happen to him.

"This way please!" the professor called, striding across the paddock. Percy dodged the Beauxbatons horses as they began crowding around him, their enormous hooves threatening to crush him.

"They want doughnuts," he sighed, "Always doughnuts… and single malt whiskey?"

"That can't be good for their health," Will pointed out.

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry was asking Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"Never you mind."

"But I do mind!"

The professor ignored him, leading them around the paddock towards a tree on the edge of the Forest where a large, gleaming unicorn was tethered.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Parvati whispered, "How did she catch it? They're supposed to be really hard to find!"

The unicorn pawed the ground anxiously. "It's scared," Percy muttered.

"Boys keep back!" Grubbly-Plank cried, "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front and approach slowly. Come on now, easy does it…"

Annabeth tiptoed forward with the rest of the girls, but the unicorn pushed past them, straining to reach the fence where the boys stood watching.

"I thought unicorns didn't like boys," Lavender said, disappointed.

Grubbly-Plank frowned, "They don't."

"It's Percy!" Annabeth resisted the urge to laugh, "Unicorns must be related to horses."

Percy shuffled forward, embarrassed. The unicorn nuzzled it's head into his hand and many of the girls "oooohed!" at the sight. Annabeth rolled her eyes, used to Percy's VIP status in the equestrian world.

As Annabeth explained to Professor Grubbly-Plank Percy's relation to horses, the other girls fawned over the unicorn, petting it and begging Percy to translate it's snorts and snuffles.

Voices carried across the paddock from the boys…

"None of the mummies and daddies are going to like this at all… they'll be worried he'll eat their kids, ha, ha…"

"You-"

Harry was clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet, hands shaking. His face was flushed with anger.

"What's going on?" Percy asked.

"He… Hagrid… Malfoy…" Harry shoved the Daily Prophet into his hands, apparently unable to find the words.

"D-Dumbledore?" He squinted at the paper, struggling to read the headline and Annabeth wasn't doing much better over his shoulder. Malfoy and his friends sniggered.

Hermione took the paper gently from his hands, "It says Dumbledore's Giant Mistake. It's about Hagrid… How could that Skeeter woman know?"

"Are you paying attention over there?" Grubbly-Plank asked sharply. She continued describing the many magical properties of unicorns, occasionally glaring at the group at the back to make sure they were still listening.

"We've got to go and see him," Harry said, when the lesson was over, and they were heading back to the castle for lunch, "This evening, after Divination. Tell him we want him back. We can't let that Skeeter cow do this to him, we just can't!"

Harry

He, Ron and Hermione left the castle together on Saturday for the first Hogsmeade visit of the term. The wind slapped them in the face as they struggled across the grounds, their boots sinking into the damp grass.

There had been no sign of Hagrid all week. The curtains in his cabin were drawn and no smoke rose from chimney. After checking the shops along the slushy High Street, Harry finally suggested a trip to the Three Broomsticks, thinking maybe their friend had decided to cheer himself up with a pint of Butterbeer, but when they arrived the only half-humans they saw were the demigods.

"Still haven't heard from him?" Will asked as they joined the table where he was sitting with Percy, Annabeth and Nico.

Harry shook his head dejectedly and Annabeth pursed her lips, "He shouldn't let that woman get to him."

"Look!" Nico hissed, "Isn't that Bagman? What's he doing here?"

Indeed, Bagman could be seen lurking in the darkest corner of the pub with a bunch of goblins, all looking menacing with their arms crossed tightly. Bagman looked strained, pale even in the yellowy light of the fire, but his face brightened considerably as he caught sight of Harry and hurried over to their table.

"Harry, my boy!" he beamed, "A quick word with you alone?"

"Er, okay," he felt his friends' eyes boring curiously into his back as he followed Bagman over to the bar.

"I just wanted to congratulate you once again on your magnificent defeat of the Horntail, Harry!" he said once they were a safe distance away from any other pubgoers, "And to let you know that if you need any help, _any at all_ , with your clue, just let me know."

"I'm okay, Mr Bagman. I think I've got it figured out," Accepting help from Bagman felt somehow different from taking advice from his friends - he was almost a complete stranger and a judge – it felt more like cheating.

"Are you sure? We all want a Hogwarts victory, Harry-" one of the goblins cleared their throat impatiently and Bagman shuddered, "Oh, alright then, I've got to go. Do let me know if you need any help, Harry! Goblins – a complete nightmare, the lot of them."

"What do they want?" he asked, eying the goblins cautiously.

"Well… they're – er - they're looking for Barty Crouch," said Bagman, looking suddenly nervous.

"Isn't he at the Ministry in London?"

"Actually, he hasn't turned up to work in a while. His assistant, young Percy, says he's sick and he's been sending in instructions by owl. You don't mind keeping this quiet, do you Harry? Only Rita Skeeter's still sniffing around, and she'd probably turn this into something sinister." He opened his mouth to say more but the goblin who had cleared his throat slammed his fist down on the table, "Well, I must dash! Let me know if you need anything, Harry! Anything at all!"

He hurried out of the pub, followed by the goblins. Harry rejoined his friends.

"What did he want?" Ron asked, as soon as he'd sat down.

"To help me with the golden egg."

Hermione's brow furrowed, "He's not supposed to do that!"

"Oh no," Percy groaned, fists clenching on the table, "Look…"

Rita Skeeter had just entered, followed by her paunchy photographer. Tapping her shocking pink nails against the bar, she surveyed the crowds as a critic might examine a dish before eating.

"I can see it now," she was saying, her banana yellow robes swishing around her as she and the photographer bought drinks and settled down at a nearby table, " _Disgraced Ex-Head of Magical Sports, Ludo Bagman…_ snappy, isn't it?"

"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" Harry said loudly.

"Let's go, Harry," Hermione tugged at his sleeve.

"No, stay!" Rita Skeeter fluttered her lashes behind her jewelled glasses, "Two Triwizard champions, how lovely! Why don't you come and join-?"

"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick!" he said hotly, "Not after what you did to Hagrid!"

"Now, Harry, our readers have the right to know the truth."

"The truth? There's nothing wrong with Hagrid, just because he's half-giant!"

The pub had gone suddenly silent. Many Butterbeers had stopped halfway to their owners' gaping mouths. Madame Rosmerta was watching him intently in the mirror above the bar, a forgotten tankard dangling from her fingertips.

"Perhaps you'd like to give us an interview about the Hagrid you know?" Skeeter said, smiling forcedly, and her Quick Quotes Quill perked up instantly, "Would you call him a father substitute?"

Harry saw red. "You-" Before he knew what he was doing, he'd snatched a butter knife from the table and slashed it through the quill, spraying ink all over Skeeter's horrid yellow robes.

Rita Skeeter gaped, reaching for her wand but before she could do anything Percy had grabbed Harry by the robes and was hauling him outside, their friends hurrying after them.

"That was brilliant, Harry!" Annabeth panted, "I mean, it was horrible – you should never use weapons on mortals – but good move!"

Harry broke into a run, "We need to speak to Hagrid. Now!"

They raced up the road, through the gates flanked by winged boars and across the grounds to Hagrid's cabin.

"Hagrid!" Harry yelled, hammering on the cabin's door, "We know you're in there!"

"Come _on_ , Hagrid!" Hermione called, "Nobody cares if your mother was a giantess! You can't let that foul Skeeter woman do this to you! Hagrid, you're just being-"

The door opened, and Hermione stopped shouting suddenly as she found herself face-to-face with, not Hagrid, but Dumbledore.

"Good afternoon," he said pleasantly.

"Er - hi," she squeaked, "We wanted to see Hagrid."

"Yes, I gathered as much."

He beckoned them inside; there wasn't much room with four demigods, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Dumbledore, not to mention the enormous Hagrid staring red-eyed into the fire. His face was blotchy, his beetle-black eyes glistening with unshed tears and any attempt he had made to comb his hair in the presence of Madame Maxine had clearly been abandoned.

"Hi, Hagrid," said Harry.

"'Lo," he croaked.

"Hagrid, how could you think we'd care what that Skeeter cow – er, sorry, Professor – said about you?"

"Indeed," said Dumbledore, "Living proof of what I've been telling you, Hagrid. I have shown you the letters from countless parents who remember you from their own time here telling me, in no uncertain terms that, if I sacked you, they would have something to say about it-"

"Not all of 'em," said Hagrid hoarsely, "Not all of 'em want me to stay."

"Really, Hagrid, if you are holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time" said Dumbledore, peering sternly over his half-moon spectacles, "Not a week has passed, since I became Headmaster of this school, when I haven't had at least one owl complaining about the way I run it. But what should I do? Barricade myself in my study and refuse to talk to anyone?"

"Yeh-yeh not half-giant!" he said croakily.

"No, but I am," Percy said abruptly, "Or at least, I'm related to some. And my grandfather's an evil titan who I killed. One of my brothers is a golden fleece which I stole from my other brother, who is a cyclops. You're not the only one with a complicated family, Hagrid. They don't define you."

"An excellent point from Mr Jackson," Dumbledore smiled, "I always thought the Greek myths took family drama to a whole other level."

"Gee, thanks."

"Please come back to class Hagrid," Hermione whispered, "We all really miss you."

Hagrid gulped, more tears leaking down his face and into his tangled beard. Dumbledore stood.

"I refuse to accept your resignation, Hagrid, and I expect you back at work on Monday," he said, "You will join me for breakfast at eight thirty in the Great Hall. No excuses. Good afternoon to you all."

He left, pausing only to scratch Fang behind the ears, and Hagrid buried his head in his dustbin lid-sized hands and sobbed.

"Hagrid, don't cry," Annabeth said awkwardly, patting his arm.

"Yeh-yeh right," he swallowed back more tears, "I shouldn' let that woman get ter me. I bin stupid… my ol' dad woulda bin ashamed o' the way I've bin behaving… "Never be ashamed," he used ter say, "there's some who'll hold it against you but they're not worth botherin' with," an' he was right. I'm not botherin' with _her_ no more, I promise yeh that!"

Percy raised a curious eyebrow at Harry, but he shrugged noncommittally. He and Ron hadn't told anyone except Hermione about the first part of the conversation they'd overheard between Hagrid and Madame Maxine and he wasn't about to reveal anymore of Hagrid's private business.

"You remind me o' me a bit, Harry," Hagrid said suddenly, "Mum an' dad gone an' when I firs' met you, you was feelin' like yeh wouldn' fit in at Hogwarts."

He met Harry's gaze, his eyes very bright, and, lowering his voice, said seriously, "Yeh know what I'd love, Harry? I'd love ter see yeh win – no offence, Percy – but it'd show 'em… yeh don' have to be pureblood to do it, it'd show 'em Dumbledore's the one who's got it right, not the Lucius Malfoys of the world. How're you doin' with that egg, Harry?"

"Great," he said, a great weight settling on his chest, "Really great."

Hagrid's tear-creased face broke into a watery smile, "Tha's my boy… You show 'em, Harry, you show 'em all!"

Lying to Hagrid wasn't quite like lying to anyone else and Harry left the cabin that evening feeling sick to the stomach. As he followed his friends up to the castle, he couldn't banish the thought of winning the Tournament – and the expression on Hagrid's face if he did.

"Harry!" Percy caught up with him and he looked around, dazed – he'd overtaken his friends in his hurry to escape his own guilt – "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Harry nodded and followed Percy toward the Forbidden Forest. The older boy stopped in the shadows of the first trees and turned to face him, his face dark in the evening gloom.

"You haven't figured out the egg, have you?"

Harry briefly considered lying but decided against it, "No," he admitted.

Percy nodded, "I thought so. Listen, you need to listen to it underwater to understand."

"Underwater?" he blinked, uncomprehending.

"Yes, it's a riddle but it's in Mer. I only figured it out because I'm a son of Poseidon and Annabeth helped me."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because…" his gaze became unfocused and Harry's scar twinged, "Because you warned me about the dragons but also because I want you to win. I don't care about the Tournament but from what I've seen, you winning would mean a lot to a lot of people." He shook his head and the pain in Harry's head went away, replaced by a leaden sense of dread.

"Percy…" he trailed off, not sure what he wanted to ask. _Are you secretly Lord Voldemort in disguise?_ He didn't really think so but there was only one person Harry's scar hurt around, and his scar had been hurting around Percy a lot recently, "You haven't been having… dreams, have you?"

He paled, "N-no, why do you ask?"

"It's just…" _I think you're being possessed,_ "Never mind, it's probably nothing."

They walked back to the castle side by side and Harry silently berated himself for being so paranoid. Of course, Percy wasn't connected to Voldemort – he hadn't even known about the wizards' existence until a few months ago. He opened his mouth to apologise for being so weird when Percy stopped, turning to face him.

"Harry, you know you can trust me, right?" he said, his sea green eyes pleading, "I would never do anything to hurt you."

"I know," Harry tried to believe in what he was saying, "I do trust you, Percy."

But as they crossed the lawn in peaceful silence, Harry's scar burnt – and, however hard he tried, he couldn't think of another explanation except the son of Poseidon walking beside him…

 **Please let me know what you think by reviewing and remember to favourite/follow the story if you haven't already! I enjoy reading all your reviews. Not much Nico in this chapter so the next one will probably be written in his POV.**

 **QUESTION: Have you read TOA and if so did you enjoy it? Everyone I know either loved it or hated it so I'm really interested in seeing if there are any "meh" people. Personally, I'm a lover. After two series written by teenagers (albeit sassy and amazing teenagers), I think Apollo's POV is really interesting and I think there's more of a personal journey than in any other PJO series. Percy goes through a journey in terms of becoming more powerful and confident but, all in all, he starts as a good person and ends as a good person whereas Apollo starts as self-centred and dismissive of others and appears to be learning more about what it means to be human as the series goes on. Let me know what you think!**

 **GracedApple - Thanks for the advice! This chapter was pre-written but I'll try and fix the spacing next chapter.**

 **Have a great week!**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14

**Percy**

"Hi, Harry!" Percy said, taking his usual seat at breakfast the next morning.

The younger boy looked up, startled. "Oh, hi," he said awkwardly.

"Did you figure out the egg yet?"

Harry's fists clenched on the table, "Oh, yeah. I figured out that I have to _breathe underwater for an hour!_ "

"Oh," Percy hadn't really thought about it like that but now he'd pointed it out, Harry's dilemma seemed pretty obvious, "Don't you wizards have spells for that?"

"If we do I haven't learnt any," he sounded on the verge of panic.

Percy opened his mouth to ask Harry if he was alright – he wasn't quite meeting his eye – when Annabeth slid onto the bench next to him.

"Morning, Seaweed Brain," he tried to kiss her, but she pulled away, laughing, "Eww, no! Your breath stinks! Morning, Harry."

"Morning," he muttered, standing up, "I'm going to find Hermione, maybe she'll know something…"

He left, still not looking Percy in the eye.

"What's up with him?" Annabeth frowned.

"I don't know," His throat constricted with terror – Harry had asked him about the dreams. He _knew._ They'd been getting worse recently and he still didn't understand what they meant, except they almost always ended with him killing Harry. Could it be that, after all he'd been through, he was finally going crazy?

"Percy, what's wrong?" He wanted to confide in Annabeth but the thought of her face as he told her how, every night, he watched Harry die and he _enjoyed_ it made him taste bile. He couldn't let her down like that. He wouldn't.

 _What if I'm going bad?_

"Nothing," he forced a smile, "Harry's probably just worried about the Second Task. I kind of forgot not everybody can breathe underwater."

She rolled her eyes, "Come on, Seaweed Brain. Time for class."

Harry avoided him in Charms and for the rest of the week, Percy hardly saw his wizarding friends. They locked themselves in the library for hours on end, pouring over hundreds of books for anything that might help Harry breathe underwater. He offered to help but Harry was quick to point out that this would probably be considered cheating and Hermione gently reminded him that with his dyslexia, the task would be more torture for Percy than support for Harry.

Percy spent the extra time with his demigod friends, brainstorming new ideas to bring back Hecate and teaching classes in ancient history and self-defence. He often found himself the last one in the common room at night and the first one up in the morning, barely sleeping at all. He became cranky and irritable, falling asleep in classes only to wake up to a jolt from Annabeth's elbow when he started whimpering.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she'd ask him, each time she woke him up from another nightmare.

He'd whisper, "I'm fine," or "Tartarus," hating himself for using that as an excuse, even as his friends gave him sympathetic looks.

"Okay, so today we're going to be teaching you a new disarming technique," Annabeth was saying to the fourth year Gryffindors, "So pair up, please."

"Be my partner?" he asked Harry. He started, like a deer caught in headlights, and, wincing, moved to Percy's side. _Why did he wince like that?_

Annabeth demonstrated the move, but Percy didn't look, he didn't need to; it was the same move Luke had taught him in his first swordplay class at Camp Half-Blood. Instead, he watched Harry and how the younger boy still wouldn't meet his eye. His blood began to boil. Sheathing her sword, Annabeth said, "Okay, so on my mark… three… two… one!"

Harry raised his sword, but he didn't stand a chance. Percy knocked his blade sideways, sending it skittering across the floor, and lunged, driving Riptide through the air toward Harry's chest. His sword was an inch from his flesh – a hair's breadth –

"Percy!"

" _What?"_ he yelled, turning on Annabeth.

"Stop," her breath was coming fast – she was angry, but she didn't show it – her gaze was steady, "Put the sword down."

"I…" Rage slowly became horror which turned into shame as he focused on the tear in Harry's cloak where Riptide had pierced his robes, "I… Oh, my gods. I'm sorry, I-"

"Percy…" Annabeth moved to comfort him, but he couldn't look at her, couldn't let her find the pain he knew she would see in his eyes. So, he ran. Out of the classroom, down the stairs and across the Entrance Hall into the grounds, to the only place he could breathe; the lake.

Trembling, he stared at his reflection in the water. What had he become?

And what was he turning into?

 **Nico**

Nico stared up at the canopy of his bed in the Gryffindor boys' dorm, willing himself to fall asleep. His dreams had become something of a haven in the last few weeks, a chance to see Bianca again, even if missing her hurt so much he could barely breathe.

Exhaling into sleep, the familiar surroundings of the dorm dissolved into the land of dreams. Nico waited in darkness to arrive on the train platform where he would catch a glimpse of his family, but something was wrong. Something was different. Instead of lifting, the shadows deepened, a cold wind catching at his robes. The harsh flashlight of a full moon invaded the darkness, illuminating a place Nico knew well from his recurring dream; the graveyard where Tom Riddle's bleached-white grave stood tall and still.

"No!" Where was Bianca and Mama? This wasn't supposed to happen; he was supposed to enjoy a few precious moments with his family before being plunged back into this strange place.

"Kill him," someone hissed. Nico's fingers curled around the hilt of his sword, but the voice wasn't addressing him. Peering around a grave, he saw a body twitching in the tangled grass and a tall figure standing over it, a sword Nico recognised held ready to drive into the person's heart.

"Riptide…" he muttered, then, " _Percy?_ "

"Nico?" his voice was ragged, "Nico, what are you doing here?"

"I'm in your dream…" he realised, but Percy wasn't a child of Morpheus, he must've been dreaming powerfully to summon Nico. And he was in the same graveyard Nico had been seeing for months…

Sometimes, he really hated demigod dreams.

"Nico," Percy's voice caught, "I can't stop."

"Can't stop what?" Nico asked, moving closer. The moon shifted out from behind a cloud, shining on the figure at Percy's feet; It was Harry. "Oh."

Percy was trembling, he noticed, like he was fighting against himself, but demigods couldn't be controlled by wizards. At least, not using the Imperius curse.

"It all makes sense, now," he whispered, "Why you've been acting so strange… why you tried to kill Harry this morning… Someone's been controlling you, for how long?"

"I don't know," the sword dipped suddenly, and Percy let out a strangled yelp, twisting it to avoid Harry's heart, "but it always ends with me killing him."

Nico ran a hand through his raven hair, "Who could be doing this to you, Percy?"

"Me," a voice echoed across the graveyard, sending shivers down every nerve in his body. The voice was like dragging nails down a blackboard – unnatural – and Nico's heart filled with dread at the sound.

A cloaked man – no, not a man, Nico thought, for this was some other monster – appeared from the shadows. He couldn't see beneath it's hood but the sick feeling in his gut intensified with every step it took toward them.

"Percy," he said, reaching out, "You don't have to do this. You don't have to kill Harry. He's your friend."

Percy's voice cracked in despair, "You think I don't know that?"

"He's no friend of yours's, merely a distraction, keeping you from accomplishing your true goal of going home," the voice sounded faintly amused, as though it knew Percy couldn't possibly win.

"That's not true!" Nico argued, "Harry's helped us loads!"

"I'm your only true friend, Perseus," the voice insisted, "I can help you unlock powers beyond your wildest imagination."

Something changed in Percy's expression. Indecision turned to determination, fear into fury. With a roar, he plunged Riptide, not down into Harry but into the chest of the cloaked figure.

"My friends don't call me that," he said, staring into the shadows of it's hood, "And I don't want power. I just want to be rid of you."

He twisted the sword and the figure melted into darkness, the empty cloak flapping on the end of Percy's sword.

"Percy, I-" Nico was jerked off his feet, the graveyard crumbling into ruin beneath him.

"Percy!" He was back in the Gryffindor dormitory and he wasn't the only one awake. Percy sat bolt upright, staring wide-eyed at Nico in the bed opposite.

"Nico, I-"

"You did it!" he fought the mad urge to laugh, "You… Well, actually I don't know what you did."

"I feel better," he blinked, "More… myself?"

"That's good, it means he's not in your head anymore."

"Nico…" he looked away and Nico knew he didn't want him to see how shaken he was, "Who was that?"

He remembered Harry's scar and the stories Hermione had told them about how he'd got it, Mad-Eye's warning of constant vigilance and the whispers surrounding one person… Someone who mustn't be named. Someone who wasn't alive but wasn't quite dead either.

"I think… I think we just met Lord Voldemort."

 **So, this chapter was a bit more angsty but I think you can see a bit more where this story is going. Next chapter will be the Second Task and it's going to be very dramatic. I'm trying very hard to balance drama and fun. I'm loving all your feedback at the moment so please let me know what you think by reviewing and if you haven't already, favourite/follow for more!**

 **vapourtrailreads - glad you're enjoying the story! You reviewed on chapter 1 so don't know if you'll read this but if you do, thanks for continuing to read! I love Reynico and Jasico friendships too so thanks for noticing that mention. I hope you keep reviewing in the future**

 **aRTsyisAwesome - This chapter kind of explains that but this won't be Voldemort's last attempt to control Percy. Thanks for reviewing (I've noticed your name a few times and I always love hearing what you have to say)**

 **Geni Blaze - I agree, Meg is a great character though it took me a while to warm up to her. I found the last book hard to read too, though I love it from a character development point of view (Meg definitely grows a lot in the third book). Thanks for your continued support, you were my first review so I'm always interested in your opinion on the story ;)**

 **Will update sometime next week, have a great weekend guys!  
**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	15. Chapter 15

Percy

Lighting flickered outside the leaded window, briefly illuminating the Gryffindor common room with an eerie light.

"Zeus is at it again," Annabeth muttered, watching the horizon tear itself apart.

Percy buried his face in her hair. It was the night before the Second Task and they were curled up in a chair by the fire, watching the storm. In the distance, the lake heaved in the wind.

"Thank you for understanding," he whispered, "about… everything."

She sighed, "Percy we talked about this. It wasn't your fault. Voldemort was driving you crazy. Harry will understand, once you explain."

"I just wish he would talk to me," Percy bit his lip. It had been weeks since the "incident," but Harry, it appeared, was avoiding him and he didn't want to push it. If Harry needed time, he would wait.

"You did try to kill him," Annabeth reminded him gently.

"I wouldn't-"

"I know."

"Annabeth?" It was Neville. He smiled apologetically for butting in, "Professor McGonagall wants to see you in her office. She said to come alone."

"Now?" Percy glanced at the clock on the mantel. It was almost 11'o'clock, past curfew, and the common room was practically empty.

"I'll be fine," she pressed her lips softly against his, "You need sleep for the morning, anyway."

He raised an eyebrow; neither of them was worried about the Task tomorrow, but she pushed him firmly in the direction of the staircase and he wandered obediently to the dormitory. Nico was snoring softly in the corner, his and Will's arms dangling in the space between their beds like they'd fallen asleep holding hands, but Harry's bed was empty.

He pulled on his pyjamas quickly and tumbled into bed, pulling the red-and-gold covers up to his chin. The British winter was colder than any of the demigods had been prepared for and the freezing air stung his exposed skin. Outside, hail ricocheted off the window like bullets as the sky continued it's relentless attack.

His dreams were filled with fragments of half-forgotten memories… "Come on, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth tugged on his hand, the Doors of Death pulsating with dark energy in the distance. The _"snip!"_ of the thread he'd watched the Fates cut, the day he arrived at camp. He saw his pregnant mum, round and glowing like the moon. "Percy!" she yelled in a voice that wasn't her own, "Where's Percy?"

"Mum?" he called, "Mum, I'm right here!"

"Percy!" He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, reaching blindly for the light of the waking world. The first thing he saw was his pillow, damp with drool, then Harry at the end of his bed, his robes crumpled like he hadn't slept.

"Percy, wake up!"

"Wassatime?"

" _What?_ "

"What's the time?"

"It's almost half-past nine. The Task starts in five minutes!"

Five minutes. He rolled out of bed, groaning as he fumbled with his clothes.

"Harry, listen, I need to explain-"

"That doesn't matter now!" Harry grabbed Percy's shoes from under the bed and shoved them in his direction, "They've got Ron. Percy, where's Annabeth?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "I haven't seen her since last night, McGonagall wanted to see her."

"Same thing with Ron."

"You think they've taken her?" The first tendrils of panic began to unfurl in his stomach, "They can't just take someone for a contest!"

Looking up, he saw his own worry reflected in Harry's eyes. He gave up tackling his laces, snagged Riptide from the dresser and bolted for the staircase, Harry close behind.

His thoughts were racing. He could breathe underwater, but Annabeth couldn't. The words of the song echoed in his head, now sounding uncomfortably close to a prophecy, _past an hour the prospect's black…_ They wouldn't really endanger students as a test, would they?

 _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back…_

He sped up, thundering down staircases, ignoring the insults the portraits hurled at him.

"Sleeping in. Typical, isn't it?"

"Teenagers these days, no respect!"

The Entrance Hall was empty, except for a few who cried "good luck!" as they passed. Everyone must already be at the lake, he realised. Harry was now struggling to keep up, his breathing ragged.

"Hogwarts should really have gym classes," Percy pointed out, reluctantly slowing down.

"Don't worry about me!" Harry panted, " _Go!_ "

Percy shook his head stubbornly and together they sprinted across the lawn to the lake. The last of the boats sped across the water in the distance, it's passengers a group of blue-robed Beauxbatons girls, chattering excitedly in French.

"Wait!" Harry yelled, "Come back!" but either they couldn't hear him or didn't care as the boat continued skipping merrily along, leaving a silver trail in it's wake. "What do we do now? Swim?"

"No time," Percy grabbed Harry by the waist and flung him unceremoniously over his shoulder, wading into the lake. He was grateful his powers protected him from the cold as the morning had brought with it a biting wind and the water must've been freezing. The currents responded to his thoughts, propelling them through the water toward the stands on the opposite bank.

As they approached, he saw Malfoy and his cronies miming being carried. He doused them in cold water, turning their jeers into shrieks.

"Merlin's beard!" Harry muttered, as the current deposited them in the shallows near the shore. "At least now I know why you weren't worried about the Task."

"I wasn't worried… until they took Annabeth," Percy said, waving frantically at the judges, "We're here!"

As they stumbled through the water toward where Fleur was waiting, he scanned the crowd for his friends. Paolo was sat with Hermione in the front row. Further up, Nico grinned guiltily at him from beside Will. _"Sorry,"_ he mouthed.

They reached the shore. Percy was dry, but the hem of Harry's cloak was soaking, and Fleur glared at him contemptuously as they walked over to meet her, as though daring him to drip mud all over her pristine robes.

"Well, now the champions are all here," Bagman announced, shooting Percy a look that clearly said, _it's your fault you're both late_ , "The Task will start on my whistle. The champions will have precisely an hour to recover what we've taken from them. On the count of three, one… two… three!"

The whistle was drowned out by the crowd's cheers as Percy flung himself forward into the lake. As the water closed above him, he felt more confident than he would've expected. This was his element. If Annabeth was in this lake, he _would_ find her.

The surface wobbled above him as he swam deeper, following the steeply sloping bed. Cracks opened in the rock beneath him, underwater caves where any number of strange creatures might lurk. He uncapped Riptide, sending bronze light rippling through the gloom, and continued, sword in hand.

A scream echoed through the depths of the lake, ripping away the silence pressing down on him like cotton wool. Percy doubted whether anyone without his underwater senses could've heard it.

 _Annabeth._

He set off in the direction of the sound, plunging into a kelp forest, willing the currents to send him flying through the water.

 _Annabeth, I'm coming._

"Get off me, you 'orrible monster!"

Not Annabeth, then.

Pushing the last tall stalks of kelp away, he saw Fleur, her silvery blonde hair whipping around her as she struggled to escape the small horned demon clutching her ankle. Her face, encased by a bubble Percy supposed allowed her to breathe, was pale.

"It eez a Grindylow!" she cried upon seeing him, "I 'az lost my wand!"

Percy swung Riptide, slicing through the water demon which promptly exploded into dust. Fleur's ankle was bleeding badly, staining the water red.

"You need to get this looked at," he told her.

"No!" Her voice, echoing slightly through the bubble, cracked with determination, "My sister eez down there! I must save 'er!"

"Fleur, you'll pass out before you reach her."

"But-"

"Go. I'll find her," he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, but Fleur couldn't go on and he couldn't abandon an innocent child.

"Will you?" her face lit up with hope, "Will you, really?"

"I-I will."

She frowned, "Swear it. Swear it on something zat matters."

"I swear it on the River Styx – that's the most serious oath a demigod can make."

Her face was scrunched in pain, but her eyes shone with admiration, "I didn't believe you before now, about being a demigod," she admitted, "But I do now. You are a good man, Percy. You better bring my sister back." She kissed him on the cheek and swam upwards, flinching each time she kicked with her injured foot.

And with that promise weighing him down, Percy sank toward the lake bed, now with two missions instead of one.

 **Sorry it's been a while but I've been enjoying relaxing in my summer holidays. I hope everyone else is doing the same and having a lovely time! I think I'm going to update weekly from now on so stay tuned for more!**

 **aRTsyisAwesome - I know we've already talked but I wanted to thank you again for your advice. I'm now planning ahead. Thanks for your continued support and honest feedback!**

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	16. Chapter 16

Harry

Harry swam back and forth impatiently. Where were the others? Where was _Percy_? Surely a son of Poseidon should be here by now? If he were sure they were coming, he could leave the other hostages and take Ron, but he wasn't, and he couldn't – the two girls were defenceless, and the song said they'd be lost after an hour… What if the others weren't coming?

Peering into the murkiness, he saw no sign of anyone approaching. There was nothing for it; he grabbed the jagged rock he'd used to cut through Ron's bindings and began to saw through Annabeth's. At once, several pairs of grey, webbed hands seized him. Half a dozen mermen dragging him away from the hostages, their green hair swirling around their faces as they shook their heads, laughing.

"You take your hostage," said one, jabbing his finger at Harry's chest, "Leave the others!"

"But-" he was cut off as the mermen nudged each other, chattering excitedly and pointing at something over his head. Harry's heart sank… Were reinforcements coming? Was he about be devoured by the Giant Squid?

"Harry!" It was Percy, his voice as clear as though they were on land. He shot through the water like a harpoon, gliding to a halt at his side.

"Percy, I tried to save them both, I swear! They wouldn't let me…"

"It's okay," he sliced through the ropes holding Annabeth with Riptide, "I got this."

"Where's Fleur?"

"Not coming," he moved to free Fleur's sister but one of the mermen pushed him back, waggling his finger.

 _Not coming._ Had something happened to her? "What?"

"Let me through," Percy told the merman, struggling to get past, "I'm a son of Poseidon."

The merman didn't speak but made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a raspberry. Percy flushed angrily.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said, brandishing his sword threateningly, "I promised Fleur I'd save Gabrielle, I'm not leaving without her!"

The mermen chuckled, poking their spears at the two boys' chests. Harry shoved Percy behind him, clutching his wand. The merpeople had weapons, but they didn't have magic… Spells might be their only advantage.

"Clear off!" he gurgled, a stream of bubbles flooding from his mouth, "I'm warning you! You've got until three!" he held up three fingers to make his point clear, "One…" he put down one finger, "Two…" he put down another…

The mermen scattered. Percy darted forwards and tore through Gabrielle's bindings like tissue paper. He took one arm and Harry took the other, both hanging on to their own hostages by their robes.

"Ready?" Percy asked.

Harry opened his mouth to answer but sudden pain stripped the words from his mouth. His forehead was on fire, every nerve in his brain turning to sand… Pain like this could only mean one thing, one person…

"Percy, he's here! I don't know how but Voldemort's here!"

"V-Voldemort?" Harry didn't understand why his friend looked so scared; he'd fought worse, but Percy looked ghostly pale in the water.

Agony racked his brain. He gasped, clutching his head, and found his lungs filling with water, suffocating him.

"Harry…" Percy said wide-eyed, "Your neck…"

His hand slid desperately down his face, past his jaw. Where his gills had been, there was now only smooth skin. Looking down, he watched his flippers morph back into feet. The hour was up. Any second now, the pressure would buckle his spine, crumpling him like a tin can.

"You're drowning," Percy realised, "You need to go!"

He wanted to argue but he could only shake his head frantically. He pointed at Percy, in his eyes a silent question – _but what about you?_

"I'll be fine! Go!" and with a flick of his hand, Percy sent him corkscrewing toward the surface.

The black was endless. He would never make it in time. He felt his grip loosening on Ron's cloak. Where was Gabrielle? Was she safe with Percy or had he let her go? Darkness ate at the edges of his vision and still he couldn't see the surface. He was letting go of Ron… he was dying…

Air. Sweet oxygen. Harry blinked the spots from his eyes. He and Ron were still spiralling upwards in the middle of the lake, but they were encased in a bubble, large enough for them both to breathe. Outside, the black had lightened to very dark green.

 _Percy._

He had saved them, and now he was in danger. Harry kicked his feet, straining his eyes for any glimpse of sunlight. He had to reach the surface… He had to tell Dumbledore…

He had to save Percy.

Percy

"Perseus Jackson…" The voice came from nowhere and everywhere, monstrous yet strangely familiar.

His fingers curled defensively around Riptide, his knuckles shining white in the darkness, "Voldemort…" he took a deep breath, "Show yourself!"

He felt the water shift as two shadows rose from a crevice in the rock, their black robes billowing around them. Both had air bubbles, like Fleur's, and wands - wands, pointed at Percy.

"I'm afraid I can't greet you in person," the voice was heavy with real regret, Percy realised, "That honour falls to my acolytes."

Never had anyone wanted so badly to meet him, so obviously Percy assumed _greet_ meant _kill._ He swung Riptide in a wide arc, pushing the still-sleeping girls behind him. _Wake up, Wise Girl,_ he thought desperately, _I need you by my side,_ but Annabeth's eyes remained firmly closed, her face peaceful.

"Stay back!" He sounded braver than he felt. Percy knew he shouldn't be this scared. Voldemort was a wizard. Not a titan or a giant… Mortal. But something about his voice made panic bubble up in his throat, threatening to suffocate him, like the muskeg in Alaska… Like the air in Tartarus…

The blood pounded in his ears. His hands shook. His feet tingled. He was seeing through a fish-eye lens, the world crashing in around him. He couldn't breathe, the water heavy in his lungs. He was drowning all over again.

"Poor Percy," Voldemort's cackles echoed inside his head, "So damaged. You don't even notice when the thing you love most is taken from right under your nose."

"Annabeth!" She wasn't behind him anymore. One of Voldemort's enthusiasts had his arm wrapped tightly around his Wise Girl's neck. A second ago, she'd been safe with him. The other figure had Gabrielle pinned to the rock. How had that happened? How could he let it?

 _So damaged._

" _Past an hour the prospect's black…"_ Voldemort sang mockingly. How was he doing that? He wasn't even here, and he was messing with his mind, "Oh, Annabeth was never in any danger from Dumbledore. That old fool would never let harm come to a student, not even a demigod. But believe me, Perseus, if you don't do _exactly_ as I say, well… _Too late, she's gone, she won't come back."_

"What do you want?"

"Kill the girl."

"Kill-kill Annabeth?"

" _No!"_ Voldemort growled, frustrated, "Choose, Annabeth or the girl!"

Gabrielle. A girl he'd never even spoken to. Fleur's sister.

"No," his jaw clenched to keep the tremor out of his voice, "You clearly don't know me. I don't kill innocent people."

"Oh, but I do know you, Percy," his voice was a disease, creeping inside his ear, "You've done it before. Over and over again, in your dreams."

"No!" he lunged toward Annabeth.

"Crucio!" her captor roared. Percy fell back, cringing, waiting for his girlfriend's screams to ring in his ears but his dreadful expectation was met with silence. Annabeth's mouth, curved in a peaceful, sleeping frown, twitched slightly, as though she was laughing at the failed attempt at torture.

"M-my lord?" the cloaked figure sounded uncertain and even a little afraid.

 _The unforgivable curses don't work on demigods._

"How inconvenient," Voldemort's voice was tinged with annoyance, "I guess we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way.

If Percy could've seen beneath the dark wizard's hood, he would've seen his features twist into a gruesome smile as he drew out a wicked knife from within his robe. As it was, all he saw was the flash of silver as the Death Eater plunged the blade into Annabeth's arm.

"Annabeth!" She thrashed wildly, her eyes still closed in enchanted sleep. She couldn't even wake up to see herself bleed out.

The second Death Eater shoved Gabrielle toward him. The water shifted her hair, exposing her pale throat. Voldemort's laughs mocked his weakness, his predictability, as he placed the tip of Riptide above Gabrielle's heart. The gentle rise and fall of her chest caught him off guard, she was so… alive.

 _"_ _You are a good man, Percy,"_ the image of Fleur swam through his mind, _"You better bring my sister back."_

 _I'm so sorry, Fleur._

Another picture; the woods at Camp Half-Blood. A dark-haired boy, his olive face scrunched in fury.

"You promised you would protect her."

"Nico?"

He let Bianca sacrifice herself to help Annabeth. Now he was sacrificing Gabrielle to save her again. Another sister, another sibling's whole world destroyed. When it came down to it, he was no better than the Olympians. He wouldn't play this game, he wouldn't value one person's life over another's.

Anger washed his vision red. He wasn't a plaything. He was a son of Poseidon and this was his home court. Nobody's pawn. Not the gods'. Not Voldemort's.

Not anyone's.

Nico

Nico turned his face toward the sun, soaking up the little warmth it's rays offered. The cold wind ruffled his hair, but he brushed it away impatiently, his gaze fixed on the lake.

Will's arm tightened around him, "Can you see anything yet?"

"No," he tried to keep the worry out of his voice. The hour time-limit had past, Percy should be back by now but there was still no sign of him or Harry.

"There!" Will gripped his arm, raising a hand to point but Nico had already seen what he'd spotted; a dark head breaking the surface of the lake in the distance. The boy had his arm wrapped round the shoulders of another figure, this one with an unruly mop of ginger hair.

"It's Harry and Ron," he realised, shielding his eyes with his hand and squinting.

"Help!" Harry's voice echoed across the still water, "Help, please! It's Percy!"

Nico and Will didn't even look at each other before scrambling over the rows in front and rushing toward the shore. Across the stands, the other demigods were doing the same, toppling wizards over in their efforts to reach the judges' seats where Dumbledore was now peering anxiously into the lake, Bagman whispering furiously into his ear.

In the water, Harry was struggling to keep Ron afloat. When he proved too heavy, Harry pointed his wand behind them and a jet of red light propelled them across the lake toward the beach.

"Percy, he's-" Harry gasped, dragging himself onto the wet stones, "Voldemort… Voldemort's in the lake!"

"Don't be absurd!" Percy Weasley spluttered, shaking Ron awake.

Nico felt a twist in his gut and knew Harry was telling the truth. Someone was dying. In the lake, someone was being killed.

"What are you doing?" Will asked as he waded into the lake. His hands, glowing with healing magic, were on Harry's heaving chest.

"Percy's in danger. Someone's got to…" Nico trailed off, staring at the water around his knees. It was rising, churning slowly but picking up speed, frothing, boiling, as though someone had lit a match beneath the lake and turned it into a giant cauldron… and if Nico had learnt anything in Potions, it was that cauldrons tended to blow.

"Get back!" he roared.

The lake imploded. Water rose in towering, fifty-foot walls and crashed back into place, blowing apart rocks and obliterating beaches. It would've reduced the stands to rubble, but Dumbledore cast a shield of dazzling white light, turning the water to steam which blotted out the sun and sent a rainbow arcing over the students' heads. A gaping hole opened in the centre of the lake, revealing a rock pillar, and standing atop it, two unconscious girls at his feet, was Percy.

Nico watched as his friend stumbled to his knees, trembling with exhaustion.

"He's going to pass out," he muttered.

Will released his arm, "Go."

Nico dissolved into darkness. He reappeared on the rock beside Percy, the faces in the stands now a distant blur, but Will's unbelievably blonde hair acted as his beacon. Grabbing Annabeth and the other girl's robes with one hand and Percy's arm with the other, he let himself melt into the shadow of the waves looming over him.

Safe from the beach with Will's hand on his shoulder, he watched the water settle back into place. Percy had passed out and Harry was still sucking in deep lungfuls of air, but the hostages were waking up. Annabeth was stroking Percy's hair while the second girl had disappeared into Fleur's embrace. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat together, staring wide-eyed at the lake.

"Madame Pomfrey, please escort Mr Jackson to the Hospital Wing," Dumbledore's face was a mask of calm, but Nico thought saw something flickering behind his eye… anger or – was it possible? – fear as he watched Percy being levitated away, "Harry, I need to speak to you in my office. Immediately."

Harry

"So, you saw Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked him seriously.

"Well, no," Harry admitted, feeling rather stupid now he was safe and dry in the Headmaster's Office, "Sir, I can't explain it. I _felt_ his presence."

"I don't doubt your instincts, Harry," the headmaster assured him, "I believe Voldemort was there in a spiritual sense. Perhaps his followers attacked Percy and that is why he had such a violent reaction, but I will need to speak to the boy to be sure."

"Professor, what Percy did at the lake… What was that exactly?"

"It is a power we wizards can only dream of, Harry," Dumbledore's expression became distant as he spoke, "And, from what I understand, it is a power most demigods never achieve. There aren't many cases in recorded history of half-bloods possessing such strong abilities… I wonder what makes Percy so special?" Briefly, Harry considered telling Dumbledore about Percy using the wand and Hermione's theories – that he might actually be a wizard – but that was Percy's business. If he wanted to share, he would, in time.

"So, Voldemort doesn't have a body?" Harry questioned, changing the subject.

Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon glasses, his eyes twinkling thoughtfully, "No, you made sure of that the night he tried to kill you as a baby, but he isn't quite dead either… I believe he tried, in his half-living state, to interfere with the Task, though I am beginning to question whether or not the target was you."

"Who else would it be?"

Dumbledore looked at him, his expression grave, and Harry realised… Someone who had been acting strange recently. Someone who would make a powerful weapon for Voldemort, if he could control him.

Percy.

 **Yay! This chapter was longer than my normal ones and I'm a bit worried that quantity may have outweighed quality. Let me know what you think!**

 **I've been overwhelmed with feedback and I want you to know that I really, truly appreciate everyone who has followed and/or favourited the story. I can't believe we're on 76 followers and 61 favourites! On the days where I didn't feel like writing, this has kept me going and I am so grateful to everyone for showing their support.**

 **As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed.**

 **Timbo8 – yep, this is a quality that I think makes Percy great as a character, though it does get him into a bit of trouble in this chapter! Thanks for reading and following the story, hope you continue to enjoy it!**

 **HaywireEagle – oops, sorry. I tried to make this chapter a bit longer, hope you enjoyed!**

 **Geni Blaze – sorry for the wait and thanks for your continued support on the story! Percy is definitely the judges' least favourite, but I think he's probably used to authority figures hating him by now ;)**

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 **Anonymous – yup, I'm British.**

 **Thanks for reading and have a great week!**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	17. Chapter 17

Annabeth

A light drizzle splattered against the windows of the hospital wing as Annabeth waited for Percy to wake. Her boyfriend's normally tan face was pale, and she tried to squash her worry as she combed his hair with her fingers. The last time Percy had used so much power… Well, she didn't want to think about it.

Percy's hand twitched under her's and she huffed in relief, "Thank the gods," she kissed his forehead softly, "Madam Pomfrey, he's waking up!"

The nurse bustled over immediately, "Drink this," she ordered, raising a glass of dark green potion to the half-conscious Percy's lips. He swallowed it obediently, wincing.

"Wise Girl?" he murmured, his brow creased with confusion. He stared at her before his face finally broke into a smile, "You're okay."

"I'm okay," she grinned shakily, "It's you I'm worried about. Percy, what happened in the lake?"

"I should very much like to know that too," They both turned to face the newcomer, Percy grimacing in pain as he struggled to sit up. Dumbledore was leaning against the doorway and behind him stood McGonagall and a nervous-looking Harry, "I'm sorry, my dear Poppy," Dumbledore continued, "but we do need to speak to Percy urgently."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips but didn't say anything as the two professors and Harry seated themselves around Percy's bed. He gripped Annabeth's hand tightly, not quite meeting her eye. He was trembling.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked. Percy didn't respond.

"Percy," the headmaster began gently. His silver hair was grey in the bleak winter light and he looked older than Annabeth had ever imagined him to be, "I need you to tell us exactly what happened in the lake. The merchief has informed me you reached the hostages, but he lost eyes on you after Harry scared the guards away."

"They weren't very nice," Percy muttered.

"Harry says Voldemort was there?"

"I didn't see him, but he spoke to me," Percy cringed at the memory, "he wanted me to kill Gabrielle… or Annabeth."

Percy explained how Voldemort's followers ambushed him and how Voldemort had given him the choice between saving Annabeth or Fleur's sister. He hung his head as he admitted that, for a moment, he'd considered killing the innocent girl.

"but you didn't," Annabeth assured him, soothingly.

"I almost did, though," his voice broke as he stared at her desperately, "I would've done, if it wasn't for Nico."

Dumbledore frowned, "Nico?"

"Nico lost his sister on a quest," Percy explained, "It was my fault."

"It wasn't-"

"It was my fault," he repeated, "I couldn't do the same to Fleur."

"This isn't the first time Voldemort has contacted you, is it?" Dumbledore said, leaning forward intently.

Percy hesitated, "No… I-I had these dreams."

"What happened?"

"I was in a graveyard and Harry was there and Voldemort told me to kill him," he took a deep breath, "and-and I did. Every night, for weeks. And then I lost it in the lesson and I almost killed Harry for real," Harry's eyes widened in realisation, "I'm sorry about that, Harry, I really am."

"It's okay."

"And then it stopped. I stopped it. I don't know how."

"Albus," McGonagall said, "What does this all _mean?"_

Annabeth looked from Percy to Dumbledore and back and suddenly, she understood, "It means, for whatever reason, Voldemort is trying to use Percy as a weapon. He's trying to corrupt him, first by killing Harry and then an innocent child. He's twisting his mind," her mouth went dry, "Like-like Luke."

Percy squeezed her hand, "No, Annabeth. Not like Luke. That won't happen to me, I promise."

She hadn't seen him so vulnerable since… since Tartarus. Her heart twisted at the memory of Akhlys. For ages after, she'd told herself that wasn't Percy but, deep down, she knew the truth. Everyone had a dark side, even him, and if Voldemort kept pushing…

"Percy, how-?"

"I won't let it," he met her gaze defiantly, "I swear it on the River Styx."

And she really hoped he meant it because, after everything she'd lost, she couldn't handle losing Percy. Not again. Not ever.

Harry

"There they are! There they are!" Pansy Parkinson giggled shrilly as Harry, Ron and Hermione walked to double Potions.

The knot of Slytherins outside the door to the Potions classroom broke apart, sniggering, as they approached. Pansy shoved a copy of a magazine, Witch Weekly, enthusiastically at Hermione's chest, "Get a look at that, Granger!" she sneered. The group behind her snickered delightedly.

"What's going on?" Percy asked, rounding the corner with his arm around Annabeth's shoulders.

The laughter died out instantly. Pansy shrank back into the huddle of her Slytherin girls. Harry exchanged dark looks with his two friends; ever since the Second Task, more and more students seemed unwilling to relax with Percy around. Unfortunately, it was something Harry recognized from his Second Year, when everyone thought he'd opened the Chamber of Secrets… They were afraid of him.

At that moment, the door to the classroom was flung open and Snape ushered them inside. Harry, Ron and Hermione took a table at the back as usual while Percy and Annabeth sat nearby with Connor Stoll, another Gryffindor demigod who hung out with Lee Jordan and the Weasley twins. Hermione riffled hurriedly through the pages of Witch Weekly under the desk until she found what they were looking for…

 **Harry Potter's Secret Heartache**

The article claimed Hermione had broken Harry's heart by attending the Yule Ball with Paolo, the "criminally seductive Brazilian teenager claiming to be a son of the Greek goddess Hebe," (Hermione went bright red at that part, carefully shielding the magazine from Paolo who was sat at the table next to theirs's with Will and Nico) and that she was using love potions to "toy with boys' emotions."

"I told you not to annoy Skeeter!" Ron hissed.

"If that's the best she can do, she really is losing her touch," Hermione brushed it off, pulling out the ingredients they needed for their potion and giving the Slytherins watching her a sarcastic wave.

At the table in front, Percy and Annabeth's cauldron was already spewing black smoke with Percy complaining, "Why do we need a wisdom potion anyway? Your mother's literally the goddess of wisdom!"

"Percy, for the last time, it's a _wit-sharpening_ potion _!_ "

"Same thing!"

"Paolo and I aren't even dating," Hermione was saying in an effort to placate Ron, "We're just friends!"

"Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is, Miss Granger," said an icy voice from behind them, "I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor."

Snape had glided over to them while Ron and Hermione were arguing and the whole class were now looking round at them, including Percy and Annabeth who were covered in soot.

"Reading magazines under the table as well?" Snape drawled, snatching up the copy of Witch Weekly, "A further ten points from Gryffindor. I think I better separate the three of you so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than Potter's latest press release," he eyed Rita Skeeter's article resentfully, "Weasley, you stay here. Miss Granger, over there, beside Miss Parkinson. Potter – that table in front of my desk. Move. Now."

Furious, Harry lugged his cauldron over to the empty table and began pounding scarab beetles. Snape sat at his desk, watching with contempt, like a vulture waiting to devour it's next meal.

"You may be labouring under the delusion that the entire wizarding world is impressed with you," Harry ignored him – Snape was trying to provoke him into having a reaction in front of the class, he knew – and continued mashing his beetles, "but to me, you are nothing but a nasty, little boy who considers rules to be beneath him."

Harry started cutting up ginger roots, his hands shaking with anger. From across the dungeon, Percy was glaring at Snape.

"So, I give you fair warning, Potter… If I catch you breaking into my office one more time-"

"I haven't been anywhere near your office!" Harry said angrily, forgetting his feigned-deafness.

"Don't lie to me," Snape hissed, "Boomslang skin. Gillyweed. Both come from my private stores and I know who took them."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry lied. The Gillyweed had been Dobby, of course, but as for the Boomslang skin – Hermione had stolen that for the Polyjuice Potion in their Second Year, but they hadn't broken into Snape's office since.

"You were out of bed on the night my office was broken into!" Snape's eyes flashed dangerously, "I know it, Potter! Now, Mad-Eye Moody might have joined your fan club, but I will not tolerate your behaviour! One more night-time stroll into my office, Potter, and-"

 _Whoosh!_

"Styx!"

Percy's cauldron had exploded. Miraculously, both he and Annabeth had been spared, but the table was covered in sticky, black goop which began eating it's way through the ancient wood and sizzling on the flagstones below.

"Merlin's beard!" Snape swore, storming over to clean up the mess.

It was an unusually vigorous explosion, Harry thought, almost as though someone with power over liquids had orchestrated it and, as he apologised profusely to the professor, he could've sworn he saw Percy wink.

Nico

"Will, where are we going?"

"I heard about this place, the Shrieking Shack. Supposedly, it's haunted and I thought-"

"You want me to see if it's true?"

"No!" Will frowned, "Well… actually, yeah."

Nico rolled his eyes, "Fine."

Beaming, Will grabbed his hand and pulled him further up the trail. It was a warm Saturday and the other demigods were exploring the shops in the village while Will and Nico wandered the wild countryside surrounding Hogsmeade. The sun shone down on them and they hadn't gone far before Nico had removed his aviator jacket and tied it around his waist.

"Hey," Will said, pointing at something in the distance, "Is that Harry?"

Squinting in the bright sunlight, Nico saw Harry and his friends clambering over a stile at the edge of Hogsmeade. A black dog bounded ahead of them as they followed the path into the foothills of the mountain.

"Where are they going?"

"No idea," Will shrugged, "C'mon, it's this- Nico? What are you doing?"

Nico jogged ahead to where their path met the one Harry, Ron and Hermione had taken, staring after the trio. He couldn't ignore the feeling in his gut that something wasn't right…

"Will," he said, realising what the matter was, "that dog has a human soul."

Will bit his lip, "You think it's a trap?"

"Maybe. We should follow them," Nico offered him his arm, "C'mon, I'll-"

"No! You are _not_ shadow-travelling." Will said firmly, crossing his arms.

"Fine, we'll walk!"

So they sprinted up the path until they could see the trio and then crept along, making sure to keep a careful distance between themselves and their wizard friends.

"You suck at trailing people," Nico grumbled as Will stepped on yet another twig. Luckily, the wizards seemed too preoccupied following the dog further into the shadow of the mountain to notice the resounding _crack!_

"It might be an Animagus," Will said, suddenly.

"A what?"

"An Animagus," he repeated slowly, "You know, like a wizard that can turn into an animal? Professor McGonagall mentioned it once."

Nico stared at him, dumbly, "You actually listen in class?"

"Well… yeah," Will blushed, "I mean, except Divination because we both know that's a load of – wait, where'd they go?"

Nico jerked his concentration back to the surrounding landscape but there was no sign of the three Gryffindors, or their canine guide.

"There!" Nico watched Hermione slip out of sight. They ran over to where she disappeared and found a narrow fissure in the rock. Drawing his sword, Nico squeezed through and found himself in a cool, dimly cave facing Harry, Ron, Hermione and a fourth man in tattered robes, a haunted look in his eye and a wand in his hand, pointed at him.

"Nico?" Hermione gasped.

Will tumbled out of the crack behind him onto the floor. The fourth wizard grabbed him by the cloak and dragged him to his feet, his wand pressed against Will's throat.

"Let him go!" Nico panicked, plunging the cavern into darkness.

"Nico, stop!" Harry yelled, "Please! Sirius, let him go!"

"You're Sirius?" Will gasped, pushing the gaunt wizard off him, "The man from the fire?"

"You heard that?"

"Lumos!" Hermione muttered, lighting up their shocked faces.

"Why did you follow us?" Harry asked, furiously.

"I sensed the dog you were following wasn't a real dog," Nico said, moving to stand beside Will, "We thought you might be in trouble."

"Not from me," the man – Sirius – told them, "Never from me. I'm Sirius, I'm Harry's godfather."

Will and Nico listened as Harry explained how Sirius had been his parents' best friend, but he was framed for their murder and how he was now an outlaw.

"You can't tell anyone," Harry pleaded, "Not even Percy. Please, guys. He's the only family I've got left."

Nico hesitated, but he knew all too well what it was like to lose your last family member, "I promise."

A sound from the end of the cave startled him. Tethered on a leash was a giant, horse-like creature with eagle wings. It nudged Harry affectionately before fixing Nico with a baleful glare.

"Buckbeak!" Hermione cried happily.

"B-Buckbeak?" Nico stuttered. That thing looked like it wanted to kill him and it wasn't hard to see why; it looked like his two least favourite uncles had come together to make a creature especially to hunt down children of Hades.

Will suppressed a smirk, "Animals don't like Nico. Uh, especially horses. And birds. And half-horse, half-birds."

"Okay, okay, they've got the picture!" Nico groaned.

Nico sat at the opposite end of the cave with Will while they discussed Crouch's mysterious disappearance. Apparently, the Ministry of Magic official had a dark past, a convicted Death Eater son… a dead wife… and, according to Sirius, Professor Snape had always been fascinated with the dark arts. Nico was starting to wonder if there was anyone at Hogwarts they could trust.

"And Percy's been having these dreams…" Harry added, avoiding Nico's eyes.

"Those stopped weeks ago," Nico told him, firmly, "I was there."

Hermione stared at him, "You were… there?"

"It's complicated."

"Now, I don't want you lot sneaking out here to see me," Sirius told the three wizards sternly, "I can take care of myself. I still want to know about anything strange that happens, but no leaving Hogwarts without permission, alright?"

"Alright," Harry echoed sulkily.

"I'll walk to the edge of the village with you," Sirius said, "See if I can scrounge another paper."

He transformed into a great black dog and trotted behind them as they walked back across the boulder-strewn ground to Hogsmeade. When they reached the stile, he allowed each of them to pat him on the head, before turning and setting off at a run around the outskirts of the village.

Nico and Will wandered through the streets of Hogsmeade, searching for their demigod friends. Harry, Ron and Hermione trailed behind them, talking softly about Crouch.

"Wonder if Percy knows all that stuff about Crouch?" Ron was saying. Percy was Ron's older brother and Crouch's assistant, "But maybe he doesn't care… it'd probably just make him admire Crouch even more. Yeah, Percy loves rules. He'd just say Crouch was refusing to break them for his son."

"Percy would never throw any of his family to the dementors," Hermione assured him.

"I don't know," he said, doubtfully, "If we got in the way of his career… Percy's really ambitious."

"Families can be complicated," Will said, "Trust us, we know."

 _Yes_ , Nico thought with a smirk, _we certainly do_.

 **Thanks for reading! I wasn't planning on uploading so quickly but I was pleased with my results today and it's my birthday tomorrow so I was feeling inspired! I can't believe we're on 80 follows, thank you so much! Hope you liked this chapter and remember to favourite/follow and review!**

 **aRTsyisAwesome - thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Percy's powers will become clearer in the future but mainly he's extra-powerful because he's a wizard AND a demigod. Keep reading and letting me know what you think, I always appreciate your feedback!**

 **Geni Blaze - nope, no one's dead! Glad you enjoyed, keep reading :D**

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 **Hope you enjoyed, have a great week!**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	18. Chapter 18

Percy

Easter arrived and brought with it warmer weather. Percy now dared to venture outside without his cloak and in the wake of the Second Task, he found himself wandering the grounds more and more often. Within the castle's walls he was met with whispers and stares wherever he went. His classmates smiled as he passed but the expression never reached their eyes, full of awe and, some of them, fear. It was exhausting, and Percy found himself dreading the Third Task, for his first time in the Tournament afraid of what might happen.

He couldn't put it off forever, though; one sunny afternoon in Transfiguration, McGonagall asked the two Gryffindor champions to stay behind after the lesson. Across the classroom, Harry grimaced at him – they both knew what was coming.

"You two are to go down to the Quidditch pitch at eight 'o'clock, tonight," she told them as the rest of the class flooded outside for break, "Mr Bagman will be explaining the final task."

"I heard it's a treasure hunt," Hermione mused when they told her, "In which case, you could always ask Hagrid for a Niffler."

They were in the library, watching Ron and Hermione study for their end of year exams. Percy and Harry were excused for the Tournament and, after Nico melted his fourth cauldron in Potions, Dumbledore quickly made the executive decision to exclude the rest of the demigods as well.

"I wish I had Hazel's powers," Percy grumbled, thinking his friend would come in handy when searching for gold.

"I think your powers are terrifying enough on their own," pointed out Ron.

Annabeth looked up from where she was shuffling through Hermione's neat stacks of flashcards, "You'll find out tonight, anyway." She said, handing the witch a pink card crammed with writing on Summoning Charms, "Whatever it is, I'm sure you can handle it – even you, Seaweed Brain."

So, after dinner that night, Percy and Harry left the Great Hall and set off across the grounds. Golden light spilled over the darkening horizon and Hagrid's chimney smoked cheerfully in the distance. The flags on the Quidditch Pitch flapped in the breeze.

Percy had never watched Quidditch, but he knew from Harry that the game was played on broomsticks. He hoped the Task didn't involve flying, or he would have bigger things to worry about than Voldemort… Namely, his least favourite uncle blasting him out of the sky.

They were passing through a tunnel beneath the stands when Harry asked in a low whisper, "Are you nervous?"

Percy thought about it. "Yeah," he admitted, "I guess I am."

"Me too, I-" he stopped abruptly. The tunnel ended at the edge of a large field like a soccer stadium but where the pitch should be, dark lines criss-crossed the grass.

"Is it supposed to look like this?"

"No!" Harry hissed furiously, bending down to examine one of the low walls. His brow furrowed as he poked it with his wand, "They're hedges… Oh, no. It's-"

"A maze." Percy felt his heart sink, "We have to find our way through."

"Right you are, boys!" Bagman grinned, jogging over with Fleur, "And you won't just have to find your way through it - you'll have to fight, too! Erm, not literally," he added hastily, probably remembering Percy's experience with the dragon, "The maze will be home to any number of creatures and enchantments provided by your very own teachers!"

"Oh, joy," Harry muttered sarcastically, and Percy cracked up.

"Now, now, this is no laughing matter," Bagman said seriously, "You have from now until the 24th of June to prepare and may I advise you make the most of your time. This will be no children's maze at a muggle summer camp!"

Percy suppressed a grin. He had a feeling activities at Camp Half-Blood were a lot closer to the Triwizard maze than a mortal summer camp's.

"Harry, if I could have a word before you head back to the castle?" Bagman rubbed his hands together hopefully.

"Erm, okay," Harry agreed reluctantly. He turned to Percy, "You go on, I'll catch up."

"You sure?"

He nodded and so Percy turned and began trudging up the hill to the castle, alone. Night was falling quickly, now, and the Forest was a mass of black on the horizon. He sped up, eager to sit by the fire in the Gryffindor common room with Annabeth and ask her advice on the upcoming Task.

A shout punctured the evening's quiet, so brief Percy wondered if it was his imagination. He froze. Was it just a couple of kids messing around in the Forbidden Forest or someone in real danger? He had to check. Uncapping Riptide, he plunged into the shadow of the trees.

Branches tore at his face and legs as he raced toward the source of the sound. A flash of pale skin urged him onwards, into a clearing where a body lay crumpled on the ground.

"Hello?" He approached slowly, "Are you okay?"

The figure's hair seemed to glow in the darkness and as the face came into view, Percy's stomach plummeted.

"Will?"

Nico

"C'mon, it's this way," Will said, grabbing Nico's hand and pulling him deeper into the forest.

"What is?" he asked warily.

"I found something I want to show you!" Will's enthusiasm was infectious and so Nico allowed himself to be led away from the path.

The sun was setting rapidly, cloaking the trees in shadow, and Nico couldn't squash the feeling of unease in his stomach. He wasn't afraid of the dark but the monsters it hid, and he'd left his sword back at the castle…

"Will…" Let's go back, he wanted to say.

"There!" Will's face lit up. He squeezed Nico's hand, pointing out a nearby clearing where several horse-like creatures grazed in the twilight. Together, they crept closer.

"Thestrals," the name escaped his mouth, though he'd never seen them outside the Underworld before.

"Is that what they're called?" Will didn't flinch as he ran his hand down one Thestral's bony flank and, as always, Nico was amazed by his boyfriend's ability to find what most people would call frightening beautiful.

Like him, for example.

"Yeah, they hang out in the Underworld, mostly," A foal nudged his legs and Nico reached down to stroke it's muzzle, "They're the only animals that can stand me."

"That's not true! Mrs O'Leary likes you."

Nico rolled his eyes, "That's cos I feed her,"

Will chuckled, "You-"

But something moved behind him in the trees and Nico, cutting him off, grabbed his boyfriend's arm and pulled him around.

"What?"

"Will," Why hadn't he taken his sword from the dormitory? "Do you have your bow?"

"Where? In my pocket?" he joked but the edge in his voice said he knew something was up, "Besides, you know I'm terrible at shooting."

Nico gestured for him to be quiet, preparing to shadow-travel himself and Will back to the castle. Next moment a man staggered out from behind an oak tree, face grey with exhaustion, his robes ripped and bloody. Even more worrying was his behaviour, talking and gesticulating wildly to someone apparently only he could see.

"That's Mr Crouch," Will gasped, "He was a judge."

"Isn't he the one Sirius told us about? The one who sent his son to Azkaban?"

Will approached slowly, "Mr Crouch?" he stretched out his palms, "My name's Will Solace. I'm a healer."

Crouch continued to talk to a nearby tree, "And when you've done that, Weatherby, send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the Tournament, Karkaroff just sent word there will be twelve…"

"Will-"

Will shushed him, "Mr Crouch? Are you alright?"

"Dumbledore-" he seized Will by his robes. Nico lunged forward but he didn't have his sword and, anyway, he couldn't exactly attack an old man for touching his boyfriend, "I need… see… Dumbledore."

"Mr Crouch," Will said calmly, "If you get up I can take you to him."

"I've done… terrible thing," each word seemed to cost him a great effort, "Must… see… Dumbledore. The Dark Lord... Voldemort..."

Will looked up at him, "Nico, go get Dumbledore. Shadow-travel to his office – you know where it is."

Nico stared at him, dumbfounded by the request, "What?"

"You heard me," said Will unhappily, "Go."

"What about you?"

"Go! I'll be fine."

Reluctantly, he stepped back and let the shadows swallow him. He felt his consciousness slipping away but he clung onto the image of Dumbledore's office and, slowly, the howling wind of the ether was replaced by the whirring noise of the headmaster's various instruments as he materialised inside the castle.

"Di Angelo," an unpleasantly familiar voice growled – Snape.

"Dumbledore-" he stumbled as a wall of exhaustion slammed into him, sliding to the floor beside the headmaster's desk.

The spots in his vision cleared and he found himself caught in the gaze of Dumbledore, Snape and a few dozen very disgruntled portraits. The two professors appeared to be in the middle of a meeting and the Potions' clearly wasn't happy about the interruption, glowering at him in contempt.

"Apparating into the headmaster's office?" a particularly stern-looking oil painting tutted disapprovingly, "disgraceful!"

"Nico, what is it?" Dumbledore asked urgently, bending down beside him.

"Crouch is here, from the Ministry – he's down in the forest, he wants to speak to you!"

"Headmaster," drawled Snape, "Clearly, this is nonsense."

"Hush, Severus," Dumbledore said gravely, "Nico, can you walk?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Lead the way," he said promptly. Nico dragged himself to his feet and the headmaster swept after him, leaving Snape alone in the office, his face puckered in an ugly scowl.

"What did Mr Crouch say, Nico?" Dumbledore asked as they walked swiftly down the marble staircase.

"Said he's done something terrible... said he wants to warn you... he mentioned Voldemort - he's the one who killed Harry's parents, isn't he? What does it mean?"

"Something strange... something very strange indeed," said Dumbledore and he quickened his pace as they left the warmth of the Entrance Hall and strode out into the pitch darkness.

"He's acting weird," Nico hurried to stay beside him, "He keeps talking to someone but there's no-one there. Will's with him now but-"

"He is?" the headmaster said sharply, lengthening his strides so Nico had to jog to keep up.

"Dumbledore," a pit grew in his stomach, "Is Will in danger?"

The headmaster didn't reply but Nico, sensing the answer, doubled his pace, leading Dumbledore past the Beauxbatons carriage into the forest.

"Where are they?" asked Dumbledore as they emerged into the clearing where he'd last seen Will. The Thestrals had vanished but their hoof prints were visible in the damp earth – the same spot where they'd joked about Mrs O'Leary.

"They were here," Nico said, panic rising in his throat. It was definitely the right place... It hadn't been that far past the Beauxbatons carriage and there was evidence of the Thestrals... But where was Will?

"Will?" he shouted.

No one answered.

"Will?"

"Nico?" a voice came from the darkness – not the voice of Will, but someone else familiar.

"Lumos!" Dumbledore cried, striding toward the source of the sound.

The shape of Percy emerged, his face pale in the white-blue light of Dumbledore's wand. He was crouched over a body - Will's body. Nico's heart plummeted.

"Nico!" the son of Poseidon gasped, "He's alive. I don't know what happened, though. He was already unconscious when I got here."

He fell to his knees beside Percy, "Will? Will, can you hear me?"

"He's not waking up," Percy whispered, horrified.

Dumbledore reached down and gently lifted one of Will's eyelids, "Stunned," he whispered softly, half-moon glasses glittering in the wand light.

"What does that mean?" Nico hissed. Percy raised Riptide, staring warily at the surrounding trees.

Dumbledore raised his wand in the direction of the grounds and sent something silvery streaking off through the trees like a ghostly bird. Then he bent over Will again, pointed his wand at him, and muttered, "Rennervate!"

The son of Apollo stirred. Nico clutched his hand as he struggled to sit up but Dumbledore laid a hand on his shoulder and made him lie still.

"He attacked me!" he cried disbelievingly, "I closed my eyes to heal him and he attacked me!"

"Who attacked you, Will?" Percy asked, confused.

Nico gritted his teeth, "It was Crouch," he guessed, and then, "I'm going to kill him."

 **Guys - it's been way too long, I know. I hit a real wall writing this chapter and then I let things get on top of me for a while but I'm back and really enjoying writing again! Because I was so eager to get a new chapter out there may be a few more spelling/grammar issues than usual but I hope you enjoyed it regardless! It's been a long time coming! As always, I appreciate all your feedback so let me know what you think and remember to favourite/follow the story. This story will probably end around Christmas this year and I would love to get 100 follows by the end!**

 **anonymous - glad you think so, I hope you continue to enjoy the story! :D**

 **b31nobody - thanks for some more great feedback! The physical activity thing is something that's bugged me since I became a teenager and realised I actually had to exercise to stay healthy so I couldn't resist joking about it in this story! ;)**

 **EvilPieceOfSh*t - Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing but I'm glad it comes across that way! ;) keep reading - I've got some cool stuff planed for this story that I hope you'll enjoy!**

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 **aRTsyisAwesome - Thank you for continuing to help me improve my writing! As always, your review really spurred me to think about the story and I'm currently thinking about subplot ideas to incorporate in the future (Any ideas?) I think the ending I currently have planned is bittersweet so hopefully you'll enjoy it! As for uploading soon, that didn't happen :p but I hope you like this chapter all the same!**

 **Have a great week,**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	19. Chapter 19

Percy

 _Tick, tick, tick,_ the clock in Dumbledore's office persevered into the night. Percy chewed his thumbnail, waiting for the headmaster to return. Beside him, Nico rested his elbow on his knee jogging up and down restlessly, his gaze fixed on the door.

"I should be in the hospital wing," he muttered, "with Will."

The door swung open and Dumbledore swept in, closely followed by McGonagall, Snape, Madame Maxine and Bagman, "Madame Pomfrey has assured me Will will make a full recovery overnight," he said swiftly, his gaze solemn behind his half-moon glasses, "Hagrid is checking the perimeter now but so far there was been no sighting of Mr Crouch."

"Crouch?" The look of surprise on Bagman's face would've been almost comical, if the victim in question wasn't Will, "You mean Barty attacked a student?"

"Not a student, a demigod." Snape's voice was monotone but the edge beneath it was vicious.

"The demigods _are_ students, Severus," Dumbledore corrected sternly, "And I'm afraid we have more important things to worry about."

"More important?" Nico hissed, "Like Will being attacked by _a member of your government_ is no big deal?"

Percy laid a hand on his friend's arm and Nico flinched, "Nico, I get it, but Crouch is clearly insane, I don't think he's with the Ministry anymore. No one's saying that Will isn't important," he stared hard at Dumbledore, "No one better be saying that."

"Of course not," the headmaster continued, "I apologise, Nico. I simply meant that the school is in jeopardy and no one, including Will, is safe."

"How?" McGonagall asked sharply.

Dumbledore's expression grew grave, "Our magical defences are failing. The school is vulnerable to attack."

"I thought wizards' magic wasn't affected by Hecate's disappearance?"

"It's true our powers have much evolved since the goddess first bestowed her gift on others," Dumbledore said, "Our newer enchantments, the spell concealing Hogwarts from muggle eyes, for example – that was installed around the time of the International Statue of Secrecy – have survived, but the ancient magic protecting the school from more formidable enemies has been deteriorating since the goddess vanished."

"Monsters," Percy breathed.

He'd watched the same thing happen to Camp Half-Blood. First one monster got past the barrier, then hordes of them, hell-bent on destroying the gods – and their legacy. Camp was left in ruins, and they didn't stop there – New Rome fell too. Hundreds of demigods and their families left displaced, the city was obliterated – and, with it, Percy's dreams of a new life with Annabeth.

"Indeed," said the headmaster.

"Albus," McGonagall gripped her wand, "What do we do?"

"For now, I suggest we remain on red alert. Only the staff and the demigods should know of this threat."

"We should cancel the tournament," Percy would've been lying if he said the suggestion wasn't partly a selfish one. He'd fought titans and giants but facing Voldemort had felt more like facing the darkest parts of himself – an experience he wasn't keen to relive.

"No," The decision in Dumbledore's voice was clear, "The Tournament is supposed to encourage international cooperation and ties. Now more than ever, that we stand together – wizards and demigods."

Madame Maxine drew herself up to her full, considerable height, "Dumbly-dorr eez right. Beauxbatons vill stand vith 'Ogwarts and the, ah, demigods, against zis threat."

"Quite right," Bagman echoed faintly.

Dumbledore nodded, "Percy, you should go and inform the other demigods of this news. Nico, I expect you will want to see Will in the hospital wing?"

He straightened up, "Yeah."

"I'll come with you," Percy said quickly, "It's on the way to the common room, anyway," and so the two cousins hurried out of the office and through the shadowy halls of Hogwarts.

"It's like everything's connected," Nico said, as they ducked into the empty Charms classroom to avoid Mrs Norris, "Like a puzzle I can't put together."

"We'll figure it out," Percy promised, sounding more confident than he felt. Since Camp was destroyed, he wasn't sure of anything. Only one thing was certain; Hogwarts wasn't safe anymore.

 _This time will be different_ , he thought, because this time, Percy wasn't running from the fight.

Harry

"So, Hogwarts could be attacked?" Hermione repeated Percy's words hesitantly, as though hoping she'd heard wrong.

It was daybreak, Harry, Ron and Hermione had crept out to write to Sirius and Percy and Annabeth had followed them to the Owlery to break the news. A thick blanket of fog covered the grounds and Harry was shivering from cold – not fear, he told himself - as Percy replayed the events of the night before.

"Blimey," Ron rubbed his bleary eyes with a gloved hand, "Is Will alright?"

"He's fine," Annabeth assured him, "for now, anyway."

"Will you stay here?" Harry asked, almost afraid of the answer – the wizards were aware of the Greek world's existence now and that made them targets, but what reason would Percy and his friends have to defend it?

"Yeah, I think so," Percy said, mouth set with determination, "If the Mist fails and we can't bring Hecate back, Hogwarts might be the last safe place – for wizards and demigods – we have to protect it. Besides," he frowned, "If we hadn't come here you wouldn't be in so much danger. It's our fault you're in this mess, it would be wrong to leave."

"It's not your fault!" Harry protested vehemently, "You were attacked. Besides, we've learnt loads from you being here. If you hadn't come, we would never have learnt the truth!"

"Harry's right, Percy," Hermione said, "Nobody blames you."

"Snape does."

Ron rolled his eyes, "In case you hadn't noticed, mate, Snape's a git."

"We should get back to the castle," said Annabeth, ducking out from under Percy's arm.

"Yeah!" Percy agreed, "I'm starving."

"You're always starving," she pointed out.

"Only when my life's in danger!" he argued, "It's not my fault something's always trying to kill me!"

They all laughed at that, and as they wandered back to the castle, Harry realised he didn't just want the demigods to stick around to protect Hogwarts. They'd become friends.

And these days, he needed all the friends he could get.

 **A short chapter but if I made it any longer, it would be ages until the next update! I hope you all enjoyed and remember to favourite/follow. We're almost at 100 follows now and I can barely believe it! Your feedback honestly means the world to me so please let me know what you think by reviewing.**

 **I'm starting to think about what comes next and I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in a sequel to this story? It would involve more about Percy and Nico being wizards and probably focus more on Nico's family history. This story will draw to a close at the end of Harry's fourth year so there's a lot more HP content I could draw on for a sequel but if you think the story is better left at the end of TGOF, that's cool too.**

 **Okurdek - thanks for the enthusiastic response! I'm glad you're enjoying the story :D**

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 **EvilPieceofSht - clearly, you read my mind! I'd already half-written this chapter when I got your review about Hogwarts' magical borders failing. I hadn't considered monsters attacking but I'm definitely thinking about it now. Thanks for reviewing and for your continued support!**

 **Have a great week everyone,**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	20. Chapter 20

Harry

"My dears," Professor Trelawney's droning voice filled the swelteringly hot classroom, "We have almost finished our work on planetary divination. Today, however, will be an excellent opportunity to study the effects of Mars, as he is placed most interestingly at the moment…"

"I hate Mars," Percy muttered, his head lolling onto the table.

The fumes from the perfumed fire were heavier than ever and Harry opened the window a crack so, when he sat back in his chintz armchair, a soft breeze played across his face. Ron was slumped in the chair beside him, nursing several new bruises from allowing Harry to practice the stunning spell on him. Nico, too, had planted his face firmly in his textbook, lying open on the desk, while Will struggled to look attentive.

Harry watched lazily as Trelawney pointed out the fascinating angles the planets were making inside her miniature model of the solar system. The heat from the fire washed over him and the breeze from the window ruffled his hair. An insect was droning somewhere behind the curtain. He felt his eyelids begin to droop…

He was walking down a gloomy passageway, his feet carrying him through the door at the end, into a dark room whose windows were boarded up… An armchair faced away from him and from the depths of the chair came a cold, high-pitched voice…

"You are in luck Wormtail. You are very fortunate indeed. Your blunder has not ruined everything. He is dead."

"M-my lord," wheezed a voice from the floor – a short, balding man with watery eyes and a pointed nose, sobbing and gasping on the hearth rug, "My lord, I am so… so sorry."

"I'm afraid, Nagini, I will not be feeding Wormtail to you tonight," said the cold voice, "Never mind, never mind… There is still Harry Potter."

The snake hissed. Harry could see it's tongue flutter.

"My lord, the Jackson boy grows stronger by the day."

"No, Wormtail," the voice intervened sharply, "The longer he spends with his friends the weaker he becomes. Soon, he will join my cause. Soon, when all hope is lost… Now, Wormtail, perhaps one more little reminder I will not tolerate another blunder from you…"

"No, my lord. I beg- no, please!"

" _Crucio!"_

Wormtail screamed, screamed as though every nerve in his body was on fire. The screaming filled Harry's ears as the scar on his forehead seared with pain. Voldemort would hear him; would know he was there…

"Harry!"

He opened his eyes. He was on the floor in Trelawney's classroom, his hands over his face. His scar still burned so badly his eyes were watering. The pain had been real. The entire class was clustered around him and his friends were kneeling over him, staring at him white-faced.

"You alright?" Ron asked.

"Of course he isn't!" Trelawney cried, excited, "What was it Potter? A premonition? A vision?"

Will frowned, "Hey, maybe now isn't the best-"

"Nonsense, I have experience in these matters! Well, Potter?"

"It was nothing," he said shakily. He couldn't help himself searching the shadows in the room, scanning for any sign of Voldemort. He had sounded so close… Percy watched him, eyes narrowed.

"You were clutching your scar!" Trelawney insisted, "You were rolling on the floor clutching your scar!"

"I need to go to the hospital wing, I think," he said, "Bad headache."

"Come now, Potter! Your mind has clearly been stimulated by the extraordinary clairvoyant vibrations of my room! If you leave now you may lose the opportunity to see further than you have ever-"

"The only thing I want to see is a headache cure," said Harry.

He stood up. The class backed away, looking extremely unnerved.

"See you later," he muttered to no one in particular, stuffing his textbook into his bag and heading for the trapdoor.

As he clambered down the stepladder, he reached a decision; he would not go to the hospital wing. No, Sirius had told him what to do if his scar ever hurt again and this time Harry was going to follow his advice. He was going straight to Dumbledore.

"Harry!" someone shouted. He turned around. Percy landed clumsily at the foot of the ladder, "Wait!"

"What is it?"

"It was him, wasn't it?" Percy asked, "You saw Voldemort?"

Briefly, he considered lying but this was Percy and if anyone was going to understand what is was like to have Voldemort inside your head, it was him, "Yeah, I saw him."

"What did he want?"

 _The longer he spends with his friends the weaker he becomes._

"I really don't know," Harry lied, "I need to speak to Dumbledore."

Percy nodded hesitantly, "Okay, then. Talk later?"

"Yeah," Harry forced a smile.

 _Soon, he will join my cause. Soon, when all hope is lost._

Percy

"Do you think he's telling the truth about his dream?" Annabeth asked. The lake shone silver like a fish in the bright afternoon sun and Percy shielded his eyes as he looked back at her, sitting in the shade of the oak tree. They had a few minutes before Potions and he had dragged her away from the castle to tell her about what happened in Divination.

"I don't know," Percy frowned. Harry had seemed so distracted when he talked about it, "He said he saw Voldemort and then he kind of shut down, like there was something he didn't want me to know about."

"I can't help feeling like you're involved somehow," she sighed in frustration, "Why is it always you?"

He laughed but the sound was hollow. _Why_ _ **is**_ _it always me?_

After the war with Gaia, he figured he could get some peace; go to college in New Rome with Annabeth, catch up on lost time with his mum and Paul before the baby arrived, but then the Mist fell, and he was thrust into another war he wasn't sure they could win. How many more battles could he survive unscratched? How much more did he have to lose before the Fates were done with him?

"Hey," Annabeth locked eyes with him, "It'll be okay."

He shook his head, "I just-"

"Stupefy!" The distant shout shattered his thoughts. In the forest, someone was screaming, "Impedimenta! _Aahh!_ "

Percy tore down the hill towards the sound. He didn't have to look around to know Annabeth was behind him – she always was. In the shadow of the treeline, a ginger-haired witch was crouched behind a jagged boulder, cursing loudly while firing spells into the forest.

"You're Ron's sister," Percy realised, skidding to a halt beside her. The red hair and Gryffindor robes pretty much gave that away.

"Yeah, I'm Ginny," she gasped, "A little help here?"

"What-" His question was answered by an earth-shaking roar as a giant boar, thirty-feet high with tusks the size of canoes barrelled out of the forest.

"The Erymanthian Boar," Annabeth supplied helpfully, as though politely calling it's name would change it's mind about ripping them to shreds, "It was last defeated by-"

Percy groaned, "Don't say it."

"…Hercules."

"Surprise, surprise."

Ginny stared at them, "Well, how do we beat it? I've tried every spell, even my bat-bogey hex. Nothing works."

"I guess spells don't work on monsters," Percy said, briefly wondering what in Hades was a bat-bogey hex.

The boar pawed the ground, fixing it's glistening red eyes on the rock where they were hidden. Percy frowned – the beast was strangely familiar. He looked to Annabeth, "What do we do?"

She drew her drakon bone sword, "You go left, distract it-"

"Why do _I_ have to-"

"I'll attack from behind. Ginny, stay here," she ordered, darting to the right, sword in hand.

Ginny glared at him, "I can't just sit here!"

"Stay here," he repeated, charging out from behind the boulder, "Over here, you great pig! Come and get me!"

The boar snorted in contempt, droplets of spit as big as Percy's head landed at his feet.

"Gross!" he said, "Hey, I think I killed your girlfriend in Manhattan-" He didn't get a chance to finish as the beast rushed forward, great hooves thundering toward him, and suddenly Percy realised where he recognised it from, "I remember you! You gave us a lift in New Mexico, why are you trying to kill me now?"

He dodged as the monster hurtled past him, narrowly missing being impaled on one of it's tusks. Where was Annabeth? He could really do with an attack from behind right about now…

"Yah!" His girlfriend leapt through the air and landed on the monster's back, right on time – as usual – and drove her sword down toward it's spine. At the last minute, the boar shook it's head and the blade missed it's fatal mark, embedding itself in the monster's side and Annabeth was sent pinwheeling through the air, sprawling across the ground like a ragdoll.

"Annabeth!" The monster blocked his path to her, bristles quivering in excitement as it considered it's next victim: Percy.

"I'm okay!" she called weakly, "Percy, go for the feet!"

He rolled out of the way as the monster charged once more, slicing at it's legs as it stampeded past. The monster stumbled, golden ichor splashing across the ground, but didn't stray from it's path – straight toward the rock where Ginny was hidden.

Percy lunged forward, aiming for one last, desperate blow but he didn't need to; the boar lurched and fell to the side, revealing Ginny standing atop the rock, Annabeth's sword in hand.

"How?" he asked, staring at the sword that a few moments ago had been stuck in the side of the monster that now lay dead at a fourteen-year-old girl's feet.

"Summoning charm" she said coolly, though her hands were shaking, "I learnt it after Harry used it in the First Task."

"Nice job," Annabeth said admiringly, struggling to her feet. Percy rushed to help her.

Ginny watched as the monster crumbled to dust and blew apart in the wind, "This is your life?"

Percy grimaced, "Pretty much, yeah."

"Wow," she laughed, "You guys are crazy."

"Only some of us," Annabeth promised, "Seaweed Brain here's a pretty good example of crazy, yeah."

"Hey!" he complained.

"Well, I should get to class," she said as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, "And you should probably go to the hospital wing or something. Here," she handed Annabeth her sword and walked back up the hill toward the castle.

"Hey, Ginny!" Percy called after her.

She turned around, "Yeah?"

"What's a bat-bogey hex?"

A wicked grin spread across her face, "You really don't want to know…"

Annabeth

"Annabeth…"

She was in Tartarus. Percy was croaking her name. He was dying. She saw her own hopelessness reflected in his eyes; she was drowning in it, every cell in her body begging her to give up, to die by his side…

"Annabeth!"

She jolted awake, her body slick with sweat and the taste of salt on her lips. It was the middle of the night, darkness pressing down on every side and she bit back the urge to scream like she had as a little girl, waking up from terrifying visions of spiders.

"Calm down, it's me!" The dorm was lit up dazzlingly bright as a rainbow burst into existence a few feet from her face and Annabeth hurried to draw the curtains around her bed so as not to wake her roommates. A familiar face appeared from the mist.

"Grover?" she asked groggily.

His ginger hair stuck up at odd angles around his face, creased in a worried frown. Her old friend was in pyjamas; a Green Peace t-shirt and drawstring pants, covering his furry legs. Clearly, Annabeth wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping.

"Nightmare?" he asked, sympathetically.

"Never mind that," she sat up quickly, "Why are you here? It must be important."

He looked guilty, "I meant to call – really, I did."

"I get it," and she did, "You're a Lord of the Wild now, you've got responsibilities," He smiled at her for understanding, "So, what's the problem?"

"It's Percy."

Her stomach clenched, "What about Percy?"

All year, she'd had this feeling that he was in danger. First there was him being a wizard, then Voldemort's sudden interest in her boyfriend. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, Percy was connected to all… this. She just didn't know how.

"I've been having these… dreams," Grover began, "Nightmares, really. Percy's there. I think it's a leftover connection from the empathy link."

"What do you see?" If Grover was seeing even a fraction of the dreams Percy had described, she wasn't sure she wanted to know but ten years in the Athena cabin had taught her that information was a weapon.

 _And I could sure as Hades use a weapon right now._

"There's this graveyard," Annabeth's mouth went dry – it was the dream Percy had told her about, "And a name… Tom Riddle."

Percy hadn't mentioned that, but the name was familiar. _Why?_

"What should I tell Percy?"

"Tell him…" Grover swallowed, eyes darting around nervously as though afraid someone would hear, "Tell him he's in danger. And, Annabeth, I have this horrible feeling… I think he might…I'm scared he might die."

 **Chapter 20 and I've finally written something that's a decent length. I'm kind of really happy with this chapter - I hope it's getting you excited for the finale which will kick off next chapter!**

 **Guys, we got 100 follows on this story and I can't believe it. I remember being so happy when I got my first review - I thought it was the coolest thing in the world that someone had actually read (and enjoyed!) my writing. Now there's 100 people who like what I write! So thank you so much if you have favourited/followed the story and make sure to let me know what you think!**

 **Le0nidas - Thanks for your support and I'm glad you think so! Hope you continue to enjoy the story ;)**

 **aRTsyisAwesome - Glad you liked the chapter! I agree it's important to include some non-Triwizard plot stuff and I hope you continue to let me know what you think of the story :D**

 **Geni Blaze - Yeah, I missed uploading too. Thanks for your support, as always - you were my first review and I'm glad you've stuck with the story. Keep letting me know what you think! ;D**

 **heelothere - glad you're enjoying the story and that you think it's different. Hope you continue to read and let me know what you think! :)**

 **EvilPieceofSht - happy that you still think I'm doing a good job! This is an awesome idea but since the story is reaching it's climax, I think I would've have to implement it sooner. Future fanfic maybe? (Or you could write it? I'd always be happy to return the favour and read your work!) ;D**

 **Guest - you reviewed chapter 2 so don't know if you'll make it this far but if you do, glad you continued to read my story and hope you're enjoying it! :)**

 **Have a great week everyone, I'll upload soon - hopefully! ;)**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	21. Chapter 21

Percy

"You lot are so lucky," Ron jabbed an accusatory finger at the demigods while flicking desperately through the stack of flashcards Hermione had prepared for him, "You don't have to sit any exams!"

"Are you nervous, Percy?" Hermione asked without looking up from her textbook.

"What?" he jumped – he'd been having trouble sleeping again and he was exhausted. What Annabeth had told him about Grover's message plagued him; _I'm worried about Percy… I'm scared he might die…_ "Oh, yeah."

It was the day of the Third Task and he was woefully unprepared. For weeks, he'd watched Harry score through hundreds of books for defensive spells, hexes and wayfinding charms but he hadn't thought once to research the kind of things he might face in the maze. Now, with everyone whispering excitedly about the possibility of a champion being gored to death by some hideous beast he was starting to think maybe he should've done his homework. He knew this time he wouldn't have Annabeth, AKA his walking encyclopaedia.

"You'll be fine," said the encyclopaedia, ruffling his hair. He nodded but the gesture did nothing to abate the giant stygian birds clawing around in his stomach.

"What're you going to do in the exam?" Ron asked Harry gloomily. He seemed to have given up on revising and was staring at the cards like one might stare at a gallows, "Read again?"

"S'pose so," Harry said, but just then McGonagall came walking along the Gryffindor table toward them.

"Potter, Jackson, the champions are congregating in chamber off the Hall after breakfast."

"But the Task's not until tonight!" Percy spluttered, spilling scrambled eggs down his front.

"I am aware of that, Mr Jackson," McGonagall said, "The champions' families are invited to watch the final task, this is simply a chance for you to greet them."

She moved away, leaving Percy frowning, puzzled. He doubted his pregnant mother had flown across the Atlantic to watch him compete in a tournament she didn't even know existed. Suddenly, the sick feeling in his stomach doubled; he hadn't spoken to his mum since arriving at Hogwarts. Had Chiron told her about the mission, or was she at home fearing the worst… Again? Had she given birth yet? Maybe he was already a big brother, and didn't know about it...

He caught Harry's eye and felt guilty. At least he had a mother to worry about.

Hermione dragged Ron off to their first exam of the day; History of Magic. Annabeth smirked, "Go on, Seaweed Brain," she said, pushing him toward the door.

Harry trailed after him, looking nervous.

"What's up?" Percy asked, as they walked through the arch.

He swallowed, "I just don't think the Dursleys…"

"Surprise!"

Percy blinked as arms engulfed him eagerly, dragging him into the centre of the room. His friends' faces beamed back at him; Hazel, Jason, Piper and Leo, all laughing and hugging him. Calypso stood off to the side, her smile achingly familiar.

"What are you all doing here?" he couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

"Annabeth invited us," Piper explained.

Leo whooped, "Besides, you think we'd miss the chance to see you get your butt kicked?"

"Frank wanted to come," Hazel said apologetically, "But he couldn't leave the legion. He says hi though."

Fleur's family watched the group disdainfully from the corner, but Percy couldn't care less. He was back with his friends and that was all that mattered. Harry waved at him from across the room where he was talking happily to a ginger-haired woman and man Percy guessed was Ron's family.

"Guys, this is Harry," he introduced them, "Harry, these are my friends from camp."

"Hi," he said awkwardly.

"And you must be Percy!" beamed the ginger-haired woman, "Ron's told me all about you! I'm his mother, by the way."

"I can tell," he answered before thinking but, to his relief, she chuckled.

"So, Percy," Jason said, wrapping an arm around Piper, "Are you gonna show us around or what?"

He grinned, "C'mon then."

In the Great Hall, Annabeth embraced Hazel and Piper happily. Hazel planted a kiss on Nico's cheek before wrapping him an enormous hug. Together, the group wandered into the grounds, swapping stories and making up for lost time.

"How are the camps?" he asked Jason seriously.

He pulled a face, "Okay, I guess. The Romans are staying at Camp Half-Blood; it's easier to pass as a mortal summer camp, but we're having to be careful – no lava on the climbing wall and definitely no Peleus. We're working on ways to bring Hecate back, but I don't know, dude, maybe she's gone."

"Jason, this place…" Percy gestured at the castle around them, "I think we could be safe here. If worst comes to worst and we can't find a way to get the Mist back, then we could bring everyone here."

"But what about the gods? Chiron says if we leave the States they'll fade."

Percy met his eye, "Would that really be such a bad thing?"

Jason didn't answer, but he didn't have to – Percy knew what he was thinking. The gods had been screwing up their lives for seventeen years. Did they really owe it to them to stay in America, even if it meant risking their lives?

"What are you boys talking about?" Piper jumped in, the blue feather in her hair twirling in the breeze, "Nothing too serious, I hope. Come on guys, we're together again! You're supposed to be happy!"

"I am," Percy promised, and he was.

For the most part.

"So, what's this competition?" Hazel asked as they spread themselves out by the lake.

Annabeth explained a little about the Triwizard Tournament; about how Dumbledore had asked them to compete and what Percy had done so far. The group fell silent when they heard about Voldemort's interference in Percy's life.

"Dude," Jason complained, "Why do you have to piss off every powerful being you meet?"

He sighed, "You're telling me."

"Five drachmas Percy wins tonight," Leo rubbed his hands together greedily and Calypso rolled her eyes.

"I'll take that offer," Annabeth shook his hand, "Clearly you didn't see him in the Labyrinth."

"Hey!"

Being with his friends again could only distract him from the Task for so long and as the sky darkened, so did his thoughts. He wished he didn't have to go in alone. If Annabeth were going with him, he wouldn't be worried; she had his back, like he had her's. At this point, he'd settle for Colin Creevey – the annoying third year who followed Harry around – if it meant having some company in the maze.

At dinner, they sat with Harry, Hermione and Ron's family. There were more courses than usual, but Percy barely touched his food. As they finished dessert, the enchanted ceiling faded to a dusky purple and Dumbledore rose to his feet…

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way to the Quidditch pitch for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr Bagman down to the stadium now."

Percy got up and across the table, Harry did the same. They caught each other's eye and grimaced as Gryffindor table exploded with applause. His friends all wished him luck and with his heart thumping in his ears, he followed the other champions out of the Great Hall.

"How are you feeling?" he whispered to Harry as they went down the stone steps into the grounds.

"I'm okay," he replied, his expression one of grim determination.

 _I hope he wins,_ Percy thought. If any one of them deserved it, it was Harry.

The walked onto the Quidditch pitch, Harry rehearsing spells under his breath. A twenty-foot-high hedge towered over them, the gap in front them like a missing tooth in a particularly menacing smile. The passage beyond it looked dark and creepy.

The sky was a deep, clear blue and the first stars had started to appear when the air was filled with excited voices and the rumbling of feet, and the stands began to fill. Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick strode across the stadium toward them.

"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," said Professor McGonagall to the champions, "If you get into any difficulty and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air and one of us will come and get you. Do you understand?"

Harry and Fleur nodded.

"Uh, Professor?" Percy raised his hand tentatively, "What about me? I don't have a wand."

She raised an eyebrow, "From what I saw at the Second Task, Mr Jackson, we'll all notice if you're in trouble. And God help us all," she added drily.

As the four patrollers walked off in different directions, Bagman pointed his wand at his throat, muttered _"Sonorus!"_ and his magically magnified voice echoed across the stands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Harry Potter will enter the maze first as he is leading with eighty-five points," Percy grinned and applauded loudly. After the merchief had told Dumbledore what happened in the lake, both he and Harry had received forty-five points for the Task, "Followed by Miss Fleur Delacour and finally, Percy Jackson on sixty-one points!"

Percy could just make out his friends applauding him enthusiastically from halfway up the stands, their orange and purple t-shirts jumping out from the sea of black. Annabeth shot him a thumbs-up.

"So… on my whistle, Harry!" Bagman said, "Three- two- one-"

He gave a short blast on his whistle and Harry hurried forward into the maze.

Percy uncapped Riptide, the bronze glow washing his face in a warm light. The sky above him turned inky black, a deep chill that didn't belong in summer descending on the Quidditch pitch.

"Miss Delacour," Bagman tooted his whistle and gestured for Fleur to enter.

Watching the shadows engulf Fleur's pale blue figure, Percy felt his spine convulse. He clamped his hands over his ears as a voice hissed inside his head, as real as the stars above him, as deafening as the cheers of the crowd…

 _"_ _Come to me…"_

His knees slammed into the crowd. The stands gasped.

"Is he okay?"

"What happened?"

"Percy!" Annabeth's voice caught his attention. Her face was a beacon of concern across the crowd.

Bagman touched his elbow, "My boy-"

"I'm fine!" he snapped, "Just… tell me when it's time."

Minutes trailed past and then, finally- the whistle screeched, the crowds bellowed his name…

And Percy walked into the maze.

 **New chapter! Hope you enjoyed. As always, thanks to everyone who favourited/followed the story and for all you reviews. It's half-term here so I'll aim to get the next chapter up by the end of the week but I'm planning for it to be a long one and I want to make sure these final chapters are my best so no promises!**

 **aRTsyisAwesome - glad you think the story has improved! I think this fanfic has really helped me progress with my writing and I hope to continue to get better in the future. I hope you enjoy the story's conclusion. I'm really worried about people's reactions to what I have planned. Have a great week! ;D**

 **aliceO - I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! I try to stay true to the characters and avoid bias while writing and not to bash certain characters too much (which is hard sometimes!). I think your suggestion is a good one but I feel like some aspects could be quite sensitive so I need some time to figure out how I could handle it with causing offence. I might touch on Harry's childhood in the sequel and I agree, I love Harry too! Thanks for your review :D**

 **vapourtrailreads - I love that you're still enjoying the story and that it's making you laugh! Keep reading! ;D**

 **EvilPieceOfSht - shame :p but I'm definitely planning to keep writing. I've already started working on a sequel and I'm thinking about some oneshots too. Hope to hear from you more in the future! :D**

 **Okurdek - we'll see... ;)**

 **Guest - glad you like the story! Keep reading! :)**

 **laaalaaalAAA - I'm so happy you love it! :D**

 **Nega Mewtwo - Thanks for you review! I definitely agree that certain people probably wouldn't be so accepting but I feel like bullying/homophobia is a very sensitive issue for some people and I wouldn't want to upset anyone. However, I'm planning on spending more time on Solangelo in the sequel so maybe I'll look at it then! Have a great week! :)**

 **Have a great week and if you're on half-term, enjoy it! I know I am!**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	22. Chapter 22

Harry

Left… Right… Left again… Harry stumbled through the maze. Another dead end. The Four-Point spell he'd learnt with Ron and Hermione told him he was heading too far east. He turned back, took a right turn, and saw an odd golden mist floating ahead of him.

"Reducto!"

The spell passed through the mist, leaving it intact. Of course – the Reductor curse was meant for sold objects. If he wanted to pass, he'd have to walk through it, but he'd never seen an enchantment like this before… Was it worth chancing or should he turn back?

He was still hesitating when a scream shattered the silence.

A girl's scream; Fleur.

Silence. The scream had come from somewhere ahead. Harry took a deep breath and plunged into the mist.

The world turned upside-down, leaving Harry hanging from the ground staring terrified into the bottomless, star-spangled sky stretching out below him. He clutched his glasses to the end of the nose and tried to think, but not one of the spells he had practiced had prepared him for the sudden reversal of ground and sky.

 _Think…_ he could hear the blood pounding in his ears, _think…_

He had two options; try and move or send up red sparks and get rescued. But he'd be disqualified and somehow the thought of all he'd done being for nothing was worse than tumbling into the starry void.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he pulled his right foot as hard as he could, away from the grassy ceiling.

Immediately the world righted itself and he fell forward onto wonderfully solid ground. He took a deep, steadying breath, then stood up and hurried forward, looking around for some sign of Fleur. Was she alright? There was no sign of red sparks – did that mean she had got herself out of trouble or was she in such trouble she couldn't reach her wand?

He reached a junction and still no sign of Fleur. He took the right fork with a growing sense of unease, but he couldn't help thinking, _one champion down…_

If Fleur really was out of the running and it looked like she was, that left only Percy. For the first time, Harry pictured himself winning the Tournament – really pictured it - bearing the cup aloft with Ron and Hermione cheering him on… He'd got this far, hadn't he? Maybe he could actually do this.

As though the maze was sensing his sudden determination, he was met with nothing but dead ends for ten minutes. Twice, he took the same wrong turn. Once, he found himself facing a Blast-Ended Skrewt. His desire to reach the cup was burning stronger than ever and the increasing darkness made him feel sure he was getting near the heart of the maze. Then, as he strode down a long, straight path, he saw movement and his beam of wand-light hit an extraordinary creature straight out of the pages of his _Monster Book of Monsters._

The body of an overlarge lion, great clawed paws and a long yellowish tail ending in a brown tuft; a sphinx. Looking up, Harry saw it had the head of a woman, with long almond-shaped eyes. She paced from hedge to hedge, blocking his path.

Then she opened her mouth and, in a deep, hoarse voice, spoke, "You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me."

"Um- can you move, please?" he asked hopefully.

"No," she said, swishing her tail, "Not unless you answer my riddle. Answer on your first guess – I let you pass. Answer wrongly – I attack. Remain silent – I will let you walk away unscathed."

This was the sort of thing he needed Hermione for, but he was so close. He couldn't give up now and he knew Percy – he'd be near the centre, by now.

"Okay, can I hear the riddle?"

The sphinx smirked, settled on her hind legs and recited:

 _"_ _First think of the person who lives in disguise,_

 _Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies,_

 _Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,_

 _The middle of middle and end of end?_

 _And finally give me the sound often heard,_

 _During the search for a hard-to-find word._

 _Now string them together and answer me this,_

 _Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"_

Harry gaped at her.

"A person in disguise," he muttered, "An imposter? No! A spy? Last thing to mend… I'll come back to that. Middle of middle and end of end – er… no idea. Um, could I have the last line again, please?"

She gave him the last four lines.

"The search for a hard-to-find word. Er… Er! "Er"'s a sound!"

The sphinx smiled at him.

"Spy… er… spy… er… A creature I wouldn't want to kiss?" it clicked, "Spider!"

The sphinx smiled more broadly, "Very good! That other boy took much longer… Ooh, I was so hoping he'd get it wrong! I haven't had demigod in so long…"

Harry's stomach slipped several notches. Percy had already been here. He dashed past with a hurried, "thanks!" now desperate to reach the cup. He had to be close now, he had to be… His wand was telling him he was bang on course…

He had a choice of paths up ahead. "Point me!" he whispered again to his wand, and it spun around and pointed him to the right-hand one. He dashed up this one and saw light ahead.

The Triwizard cup was gleaming on a plinth up a hundred yards away. Harry sprinted forward. He could make it… He could win…

Percy stood in front of the plinth, his face glowing blue in the cup's light. Harry skidded to a halt. Everything he'd done, and Percy had still beat him, but why hadn't he taken the cup yet?

"Percy?" he asked tentatively.

"We have to take it together," Percy's brow was furrowed as he stared at the cup, "I can't explain it, I just have this feeling that we have to draw."

Harry stared at him. Percy wanted to draw, why?

"I can't…" the words tasted bitter in his mouth, "You got here first, you won fair and square."

Percy shook his head agitated, "No, we do it together… Trust me, Harry. It has to be this way."

Harry looked from him to the Cup. He saw himself emerging from the maze by Percy's side. Equals, at last. If Percy wanted him to share that glory, then why shouldn't he?

"You're sure?" he checked.

Percy nodded, "On three, right?"

Hardly believing his luck, Harry approached the plinth and held his hand over one of the cup's shining handles. To his right, Percy did the same.

"One- two- three-"

He and Percy both grasped a handle.

Instantly, Harry felt a jerk beneath his navel. He feet left the ground. He could not unclench the hand holding the Triwizard Cup; it was pulling him on, in a howl of wind and a swirl of colour, Percy at his side.

 **I'm uploading the next chapter straight away so I'll reply to all reviews then. I thought they worked better as two separate chapters but since this basically covers what happens in the maze in the book, I decided to upload them at the same time. Enjoy!**


	23. Chapter 23

Harry

 _The cup was a portkey._

This thought had barely occurred to him when his knees collided with something solid and he was sent sprawling forward. His hand let go of the Triwizard cup at last. Percy stared at him, blinking as though coming out of a trance.

"Where are we?"

Harry could only shake his head. Percy got up, pulled him to his feet and they looked around.

"No…" he breathed, "No, no, no… This is bad."

They were in a graveyard. A small, ivy-strangled church sheltered the crumbling headstones, the names long since rendered unreadable. In the distance, the silhouette of a fine old house jutted out from the horizon. A sliver of moon hung suspended in the pitch black sky, shrouding them in it's pale light.

"Have you been here before?" Harry asked.

Percy nodded, horror-struck, "In my dreams," he delved frantically into his pockets, "I've lost my sword. It'll take a few minutes to come back."

Harry clutched his wand, trying not think about how it was their only defence. He eyed the cup warily, "Is this part of the Task, do you think?"

"I don't know."

They were standing side-by-side now. So close, Harry could hear Percy's ragged breathing. His own heart was thumping loudly, _da-dum… da-dum…_ He couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched.

"Someone's coming," Percy whispered tersely. And then Harry saw it:

Walking steadily between the graves, a figure was drawing nearer. A hooded cloak was pulled up over their head, hiding their face, and as the space between them closed, Harry saw it was cradling what looked like a baby in it's arms – or was it just a bundle of robes?

 _Da-dum, da-dum, da-dum._

The figure stopped beside a towering marble headstone, only six-feet from them. Harry swallowed back his fear. _It's part of the Task_ , he reminded himself, _it's part of the Task…_

 _Please let it be a part of the Task._

"Stay behind me," said Percy.

"But I've got-" Without warning, Harry's scar exploded with pain. He could barely stand, body racked with agony. His wand slipped from his fingers; his knees buckled; he was on the ground, his head about to split open…

Far away, above his head, a voice hissed, "Detain them."

The pain in Harry's scar reached such a pitch that he retched as he was pulled roughly to his feet. He opened his stinging eyes to find himself being dragged towards the marble headstone and he glimpsed the name upon it in the flickering wand light before he was forced around and slammed against it.

 **Tom Riddle.**

"Harry!" A few feet away, the ground had swallowed Percy up to his waist. He struggled but his arms became tangled in the weeds which grew slowly around him, choking him.

The cloaked man was now conjuring tight cords around Harry, binding him to the headstone. He fought back, and the man hit him - hit him with a hand that had a finger missing. And suddenly Harry knew; the man was Wormtail.

"You!" he gasped.

But Wormtail didn't reply. With trembling fingers, he checked the tightness of the cords and once assured Harry was bound so tightly he couldn't move an inch, he drew a piece of black cloth from within his cloak and stuffed it into his mouth. Harry couldn't make a sound, couldn't move his head to see beyond what was right in front of him.

The weeds had grown over Percy's mouth now, muffling his yells. Thorns left blood trailing down his face and arms. Harry's wand lay on the ground in front of him. Some way beyond that, the Triwizard cup glittered innocently in the starlight. The bundle of robes Harry had thought a baby lay on the ground close by and it was stirring fretfully now. His scar seared painfully, watching it.

Breath wheezing, Wormtail pushed a large, stone cauldron to the base of the grave. Water sloshed over the sides as it reached it's final position. The thing in the robes was stirring more persistently now and Wormtail glanced over at it anxiously as he fussed around the base of the cauldron with a wand. Flames crackled into life beneath it and he jumped suddenly back, his hood falling down to reveal his pale face dripping with sweat.

Wormtail pulled open the robes on the ground and Harry and Percy both let out a strangled yell at the thing inside. Barely bigger than a baby, hairless and scaly-looking with long, feeble arms it raised to Wormtail, as though asking for help. Harry could see the revulsion in Wormtail's eyes as he carried the creature to the rim of the cauldron. The liquid inside was bubbling now and Harry saw the thing's evil, flat face illuminated in the fiery sparks dancing on it's surface before Wormtail dropped it and it disappeared beneath the surface with a hiss.

He met Percy's gaze and knew they were thinking the same thing; _let it drown… please, let it drown…_

Wormtail's voice shook as he raised his arms to the sky and intoned, _"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will revive your son."_

The ground beneath Harry cracked and a stream of bone dust came flying out and into the cauldron, turning it a poisonous blue.

 _"_ _F-flesh of the servant,"_ Wormtail stuttered, " _w-willingly given – you will- revive- your- master."_

His hand seemed to spasm as he drew a wicked, silver dagger from within his robes and raised it above his head. Harry realised what was about to happen and squeezed his eyes shut, but he couldn't block out the sickening _splash_ nor the agonised shrieks that pierced the night and went straight through him as though he, Harry, had been stabbed as well. The potion turned a burning red, it's hellish light blazing through his eyelids.

Whimpering, Wormtail continued. He was so close now that Harry could feel his anguished breath on his cheek, " _Blood of the enemy… forcibly taken… you will… resurrect… your foe!"_

Harry could do nothing but scream as Wormtail gouged the dagger into the crook of his right elbow. Percy yelled, lashing out against his bindings, as Wormtail held the knife, dripping in blood, over the cauldron. Both boys watched helplessly as a bead of crimson rolled down the blade, teetered on it's edge and dropped into the flaming liquid, turning it a blinding white.

His job done, Wormtail dropped to his knees, gasping and sobbing, cradling the bleeding stump of his hand. The cauldron raged with light, painful to look at, impossible to ignore. A surge of white steam obliterated everything in front of Harry, so he could no longer see Wormtail or Percy or anything but the vapor…

Then, with an icy surge of terror, he saw a shadow. Something – no, _someone_ \- was growing out of the cauldron. Tall and skeletally thin, with a high, thin voice that spoke with authority, "Robe me."

Wormtail scrambled to pick up the black robes from the floor and, one-handed, reached up and pulled them over his master's head.

And, as the steam cleared, Harry found himself staring into the evil, red eyes of the man who had haunted his nightmares for the last four years.

Lord Voldemort.

"Harry Potter…" His fingers, like large, pale spiders, reached out to touch Harry's face. _He's back,_ is all he could think, _Voldemort's back…_

"Get away from him!"

Percy had freed himself from the ground. In one hand he held Riptide and in the other, he clutched Harry's wand with the air of someone who knew they were powerful but was yet to discover just how dangerous they were.

"Ah, Percy Jackson, we meet at last…" Voldemort's pale lips twisted in a grotesque smile, "Hello… grandson."

 **And this isn't even the climax yet! All will be explained next chapter... I hope you enjoyed this double-upload! Thanks to everyone for favouriting and following the story and for all your great reviews. I love your feedback!**

 **Okurdek - sadly Percy doesn't have that much common sense! And it would be a pretty boring story if he got to the maze and said, "Nah, I'm not doing this." ;D Thanks for continuing to support the story!**

 **vapourtrailreads - hopefully the suspense will only build from here! Enjoy!**

 **EvilPieceOfSht - I'm more of a Percabeth/Solangelo person myself but I definitely thought Jiper was worth a mention. I don't know many rock songs, sorry, but I love Black Parade too and have definitely had it stuck in my head more than once!**

 **Anonymous - thank you! :D**

 **aRTsyisAwesome - I'm glad you have faith in my story-writing skills! I hope the next few chapters are "bang" enough for you! ;)**

 **Make sure you let me know what you think by leaving a review! Have a great week everyone!**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	24. Chapter 24

Percy

"Hello… grandson."

Percy had fought cyclopes who were his brothers and rescued a golden fleece that he was distantly related to, but he'd never hated his lineage more than at that moment.

 _It's not true._

He swallowed, "My mum's parents are dead and you're not the Lord of Time so sorry, but you've got the wrong long-lost family member."

Voldemort turned to face him, his snake-like eyes narrowing as he took him in. Over his shoulder, Harry was staring open-mouthed at Percy.

 _It's not true._

But Percy knew the truth and, from the look in his eyes, so did Harry.

"Your mother's adopted parents are dead," Voldemort corrected, "I am her birth father and I am very much alive, thanks to Wormtail here…"

"M-my lord…"

"Not now, Wormtail!" the Dark Lord's voice cracked like a whip and the wizard called Wormtail fell to the ground, sobbing louder. He turned his scarlet gaze back to Percy, "I had an affair with a witch when my power was at it's height, resulting in the birth of Sally Jackson. She was to be my legacy, my aid in my quest for eternal life. You can imagine my disappointment when I discovered she was a squib."

Percy gritted his teeth, "People have been underestimating my mum her whole life and they've been wrong."

"Of course, she had some clear sight," he continued, oblivious to the interruption, "but she was useless to me and from that point on I swore to have nothing to do with my descendants."

 _I'm flattered,_ he thought bitterly, "What made you change your mind?"

"I discovered my daughter had managed to attract a Greek god. Finally, here was someone worthy of the name of Slytherin! I knew you would be a useful ally but in my weakened state, I couldn't simply come and find you. I needed to bring you to me. Yes, it was I who destroyed the Mist and put your precious camp in jeopardy, knowing you would have no other choice but to seek help at Hogwarts. You believed that the Mist fell because Hecate was gone but in fact it was the other way around; frightened by my power and afraid that the other Olympians would blame her for my doings, the goddess fled. So, you see, Percy, I can help you. I took the Mist away, I can put it back. All you have to do is swear your allegiance… to me."

Percy's hands were shaking with fury. The tip of Harry's wand dipped but he jerked it back up to point at Voldemort, "It was you?" he said, "You destroyed the mist?"

"Isn't that what I just said?" the Dark Lord hissed, sounding faintly annoyed. He began to pace, "Wormtail, show me your arm."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you, master…" the grovelling wizard extended the bleeding stump, but Voldemort laughed callously.

"The other arm, Wormtail."

"Master, please… _please…_ "

Percy shuddered. Voldemort grabbed Wormtail's left arm and yanked up his bloodsoaked sleeve to reveal a red tattoo of a skull, with a snake pouring out of it's mouth. The mark looked as though it had been branded onto the skin and Percy's own SPQR tattoo burned in sympathy.

"It is back…" Voldemort purred softly, "They will all have noticed it. Now, we will see… now, we will know…"

He pressed his long, white forefinger to the mark. Against the headstone, Harry writhed. Wormtail let out a fresh howl and, as Voldemort removed his hand, Percy saw that the brand had turned jet black.

"You see, Percy, this is where it all began. Even now, Harry Potter stands upon the remains of my father. A muggle and a fool… very like Harry's dear mother. But they both had their uses, did they not? His mother died to protect him, and I killed my father and look how useful he has proved himself, in death."

Percy tasted bile. He couldn't meet Harry's eyes. Voldemort was the reason Harry didn't have his parents and Percy was his grandson.

"But look!" Voldemort's red eyes lit up with something akin to hunger, "My _true_ family returns! Ah, don't be jealous Percy – you have a… _special_ role."

"Go to hell!" he spat.

A cruel smirk twisted Voldemort's snake-like features, "I think I'll leave that to you and that little girlfriend of yours." Percy recoiled in shock and Voldemort laughed with heartless satisfaction.

The air was suddenly full of the swishing of cloaks. Figures materialised from the shadows, all hooded and masked, and one by one they crept forward, as though hardly believing their eyes. Then, one figure fell to his knees and kissed the ground at Voldemort's feet, murmuring, "Master… master…" and they all bowed and kissed, before retreating to a silent circle.

"Welcome, my Death Eaters… Thirteen years since we last met, but you answer my call as though it were yesterday. Yet, as I look upon you – whole and healthy, with your powers intact – I must ask, why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore loyalty to? The Lestranges; they were loyal. They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me," the gathered Death Eaters exchanged nervous looks, "Six missing Death Eaters; One, too cowardly to return. One, who I believe has left me forever… He will die, of course… And one, my most faithful servant, who has already re-entered my service. He is at Hogwarts and it was he who delivered Harry Potter to us tonight…"

There was a spy, at Hogwarts. A traitor. He should've known.

A grin curled Voldemort's lipless mouth, "Yes, Harry Potter has kindly joined us for my rebirthing party, along with my guest of honour; my grandson, my heir, Perseus Jackson!"

The astonished applause from the Death Eaters sent horrified chills down Percy's spine, "I'm not like you," he said, "I'll never be like you!"

"Teenagers and their little rebellions," Voldemort chuckled, amused, and his followers joined in, "Perhaps some sport before we celebrate Percy's initiation? Now, Wormtail, why don't you untie our friend Mr Potter here and Percy can give him back his wand?"

"Why?" Percy asked as Wormtail cut through the bonds tying Harry to the gravestone, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"So, you can duel, of course!" Voldemort clapped his skeletal hands together in delight, "Dumbledore's champion vs mine. A fight to the death!"

Nico

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Annabeth whispered, her gaze fixed on the entrance to the maze as though she could will Percy to appear.

Piper rubbed her back comfortingly, "He'll be okay."

Nico hoped she was right, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was happening, beyond their sight. It had been almost an hour since Fleur had been rescued from the maze. Somewhere inside was Percy, and Harry was in there with him. He remembered the Labyrinth and it's habit of twisting people's minds and he thought about Percy's dreams. If something happened and Percy couldn't control himself…

 _He'll be okay._

The air was thick with anticipation. The champions were expected back any minute and one of them would have the Triwizard cup. The judges sat tersely in their seats, muttering amongst themselves.

Annabeth followed his gaze to the judges and her eyes narrowed. Nico knew she was picking up on their strange behaviour, too.

"I'm going to ask if something's wrong," she muttered, standing up.

"Annabeth-"

"I'll go after her," Nico offered, hurrying to catch up as she strode down the stairs toward the judges' row. He caught snippets of whispered conversation as he passed; _"Do you think someone's found the cup yet?" "Who do you think will win?"_

 _"_ _What if something's gone wrong?"_

He reached Annabeth just as she interrupted the judges' conversation, "Excuse me, Professor," she said brusquely, "Is there something wrong with the Task?"

"Not at all, Miss Chase, Mr di Angelo," Dumbledore reassured them, "I suggest you return to your seats. The champions should be returning soon."

"You're lying," Nico decided.

Annabeth crossed her arms, "Professor, Percy doesn't exactly have a great track record with Tasks."

"Professor Moody has checked the maze himself for any unexpected dangers. I assure you, Tom won't interfere this time."

 _Tom._

Annabeth clutched the back of the seat in front, the colour draining from her face, "Who?"

"Tom Riddle," Dumbledore said seriously, "was Voldemort's name before he became the Dark Lord."

 _Di immortales._

"Annabeth, this is bad. This is really bad."

"I knew it was all connected," her brows knitted together furiously, "I just didn't know how!"

"We should-" Suddenly, Nico gasped. It was like a sucker-punch to the gut. Death.

Someone was about to die, and Nico was afraid he knew who.

"Nico? What's wrong?"

"I have to go."

"What?"

Some deaths shouldn't be prevented, but not Percy's. He'd lost too many friends already. Nico couldn't lose another. He knew where to go. Maybe he'd been headed there, all this time.

The graveyard.

And with the image of Tom Riddle's crumbling marble headstone fixed firmly in his mind, he let himself dissolve. Will's surprised yell was drowned out by a distant howl, Annabeth's protests snatched by the wind as his surroundings shifted and shapes emerged from the shadows. He glimpsed a figure, bone-white, skeletally thin and somehow, distinctly not-human before his knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

"Leave him to me," a cold voice rasped, " _Avada Kedavra!"_

Green light burnt away the darkness.

"No!"

 **Chapter 24 - done! Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Okurdek - sorry you feel this way. Hopefully you can continue to enjoy the story! And as for their similarities.. all will become clear soon :)**

 **vapourtrailreads - Glad you liked it! Your reviews always make me smile :D**

 **unicorn horn powder - glad you're enjoying the story! Keep letting me know what you think!**

 **Guest (chapter 21) - glad you like the story! Honestly, I'm a huge Percabeth shipper so pairing Harry with Percy would kind of break my heart! Thanks for your review!**

 **Mariepc - glad you're excited! Keep reading, I think you'll like what comes next...**

 **b31nobody - thanks for the review and I'm happy you thought so!**

 **James Birdsong - Welcome to the story, I'm glad you like it!**

 **I'm working on the next chapter now but I'm struggling with including all the drama I have planned without lowering the quality of the writing so may be a few days until my next update (also I haven't done ANY of my half-term homework :P)**

 **Is anyone watching Sabrina on Netflix? PM me if you are!**

 **Have a great week,**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	25. Chapter 25

Nico

Percy Jackson was dead.

His eyes stared blankly up at the sky, empty as the windows of a deserted house. His mouth hung slightly open, his last, defiant yell hovered in the air, _"No!"_

Percy Jackson was dead.

As he glared up at his friend's killer, Nico felt his gaze burning with hate. His fingers dug into the earth and he felt the ground tremble in response to his fury, bones skittering to the surface, as scattered as his mind. Only one thought mattered: Percy Jackson was dead. And Tom Riddle – Lord Voldemort, himself – had killed him.

"What have you done?" The Dark Lord's voice shook with barely controlled rage.

"What-" the question died on his lips, as Nico realised what must have happened. Percy had jumped in front of him. He'd saved his life, one last time.

 _It's my fault. If I hadn't come…_

"Nagini," Voldemort hissed, "Kill him slowly. He shall suffer for causing the death of my heir."

A snake slithered out from the shadows. Nico could only stare limply as it encircled him. He should draw his sword but all he could think about was Annabeth's face when he told her. Surely, it would be better to die.

"Nico!" Harry's voice, but it sounded so far away.

Percy Jackson was dead, and it was his fault. Why shouldn't Nico join him?

 _Will, I'm sorry…_

Harry

"Nico!" Why didn't he move? Why was he just sitting there, his sword untouched at his side?

Looking at Percy's lifeless form, Harry felt as though his chest would explode with pain. Pain, and anger, and sorrow, and fear… Nico would be next and then it would his turn. He would die in this graveyard, at Voldemort's feet.

 _No._

The snake had wrapped itself around Nico, now. He didn't struggle, even as the colour drained from his skin. His eyes glittered like broken glass as he stared at his friend's body. He could give up, but Harry wouldn't; He would fight for Percy, even if there was no hope. He would die on his feet, like his father, and he would die defending himself, though no defence was possible.

He stumbled to his feet, "Voldemort!" he ignored the tremor in his voice, "Leave him. It's me you want!"

Voldemort turned his pitiless red eyes on him and in that moment, Harry knew he was going to die, those eyes were telling him so… But he didn't back down. He gripped his wand tightly, thrust it out in front of him, and stepped down from the overgrown grave where he'd been cowering while Percy was killed.

"You have been taught how to duel, Potter?" Voldemort said softly, and Harry remembered the duelling club he'd attended briefly in his second year. He doubted Lockhart's teaching would help him against the Dark Lord, "First, we bow," he bent a little but his glinting, red eyes never left Harry's face, "Come now, Potter, the niceties must be observed…"

Harry didn't move. He wouldn't give Voldemort the satisfaction of playing with him before he died.

"I said, _bow,_ " Voldemort raised his wand and Harry felt his spine curve as though a huge, invisible hand was bending him ruthlessly forwards. The Death Eaters cackled with glee.

"And, now, we duel-"

Harry had barely lifted his wand when Voldemort cried, "Crucio!"

The pain was beyond anything Harry had imagined. It was so intense, so all-consuming, he forgot where he was. White-hot knives pierced his skin, tearing through what little courage he had summoned and setting loose an animalistic scream from deep inside. He remembered Percy's tales of Furies with fiery whips and chains of lava and he thought, _I'm in hell…_

And then it stopped. Harry rolled over and scrambled to his feet, staggering away from Voldemort, away from the Death Eaters and Nico, still suffocating in the snake's grasp, away from Percy's unbearably still corpse. He ducked behind the marble headstone of Voldemort's father and crouched there, his breath coming fast and ragged.

"This isn't a game, Harry Potter," Voldemort's cold voice was coming nearer, "Come out, come out… Perhaps I will make your death quick."

Harry met Nico's eye. He was struggling now, fingers clawing desperately at the snake closing ever tighter around his neck. Purple light rippled across the son of Hades' face and bones sprang to the surface where his hands touched the ground. If Harry could distract the Death Eaters long enough, perhaps Nico could free himself. It would be his last act. A sacrifice that made dying at the hands of his greatest enemy almost worthwhile.

He would die like a hero, in one of Percy's stories.

Harry stepped out from behind the grave to find Voldemort's wand pointing at him, but this time he was ready. As Voldemort cried, " _Avada Kedavra!",_ Harry yelled with all his might, _"Expelliarmus!"_

Nothing could've prepared Harry for what happened next; a jet of green light issued from Voldemort's wand just as a jet of red blasted from Harry's – they met in mid-air – and suddenly, Harry couldn't explain how, his wand was vibrating as though an electric charge were surging through it. A narrow beam of light – neither red nor green, but bright, deep gold – connected the wands and he knew he couldn't let go, even if he wanted to. The Death Eaters weren't laughing now, they were calling out, asking Voldemort for instructions, but none came – Voldemort seemed just as focused as Harry on maintaining the connection, his red eyes wide with astonishment.

Harry's feet lifted into the air. Somehow, he and Voldemort were flying, gliding away from his father's tomb to a dark patch of grass free of graves. The connection between them splintered, thousands of threads of golden light arcing high over their heads, creating a cage-like dome. Beyond that, the Death Eaters' cries were strangely muffled as they reformed the circle around them, some of them drawing wands.

"Do nothing!" Voldemort shrieked, clutching his wand in both hands now.

Then the light-spun web around them began to sing, a beautiful and unearthly sound Harry recognised, though he'd only heard it once before in his life… Phoenix song. And then the beam between him and Voldemort changed so it was as though large beads of light were sliding down the connection, moving steadily toward him. His wand shuddered, and he knew it wouldn't survive contact with the beads.

 _I can't do this,_ he thought as his wand grew so hot, he feared it would burst into flame. He, Harry, was fourteen and Voldemort was like a god…

 _A god._

"Hecate!" Harry's voice was drowned out by the song, but he felt sure it didn't matter, "I believe in you! Help me, please!"

Nothing happened. His hands were slick with sweat, now, and he couldn't hold on much longer. Voldemort was laughing at him and he felt his sudden faith flicker – what was he thinking? – but he had to try.

"Come _on!_ Please!"

The closer the bead moved, the harder his wand vibrated. Any minute now, it would reach his wand, the connection would break, and Harry would die. He needed a miracle.

Apparently, whichever god granted such feats was happy to oblige.

A woman's voice spoke inside his head and Harry thought he detected a glimmer of admiration in her tone, _"Harry Potter, the boy who lived… Only you can defeat him. You mustn't break the connection until you're ready. You'll know when it's time. Help will arrive soon. Tonight, you are my champion – good luck, wizard."_

The presence vanished as quickly as it came, but he knew it was the goddess who had spoken. _Only you can defeat him._ Harry concentrated every last particle of his mind on moving the beads, though he didn't know what it possibly achieve, he knew it was what Hecate intended him to do… and now it was Voldemort's wand which was vibrating extra hard… Voldemort who was looking astonished and even fearful…

One bead quivered, inches from the tip of Voldemort's wand, and Harry focused everything he had on forcing that one bead along the golden thread. Slowly, slowly, it began to move… closer, closer… it teetered a little…

And it connected.

Nico

He was dying; suffocating in the snake's grasp. _Hold on, Nico,_ his father's voice whispered inside his head, but he was losing his grip on the living world. The ground seemed to rock beneath him like a boat, and he knew he was crossing the River Styx on Charon's ferry. The memory of Will's face swam through his mind, _I'm so sorry…_

Then he felt it; a familiar soul, a welcome light in the darkness. It drew him back to the land of the living, to the agonising pain of being flattened to death. His vision flickered between the graveyard and the gates of his father's realm. He could see Percy, lying spread-eagle on the ground.

His fingers twitched.

 _I'm imagining it…_ but, no – he could feel it, Percy's presence growing stronger, his soul returning to his body. It wasn't possible, but it was happening.

Percy was alive. He'd been dead and now he was alive.

 _Unforgivable curses don't work on demigods._

His eyes flew open. His chest shuddered as he gasped for air. A moment ago, he'd been cold and pale but now the colour flooded back to his skin, like someone was increasing the saturation. _"Percy!"_ Nico tried to say, but his crushed lungs wouldn't allow it.

The snake's tongue flickered as it tightened its grip and Nico gagged. He clawed desperately at his neck, trying to free himself, but his fingers found no purchase on it's scales. Riptide lay in the grass a few feet in front of him, but he knew he couldn't reach it – his arms were pinned to his side. Again, he saw the Underworld and this time, he could hear Cerberus baying in the distance.

 _I'm coming, boy,_ he thought, _I don't like it but I'm coming._

Percy groaned, rolling over. His eyes widened as he saw him, suffocating, "Nico?"

He couldn't answer, couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. He couldn't do anything but die.

Harry

He couldn't hold on much longer. His arm was shaking painfully now but instinct kept him clutching onto his wand, even as he watched dense, grey smoke pour from the tip of Voldemort's.

The Dark Lord's red eyes widened in shock as his wand screeched in pain. The smoke was forming a shape, a great, greyish head… then a chest and arms… the torso of the man Harry had once seen in his dreams. He emerged as though squeezing out of a very narrow tunnel, shook himself off and, leaning on his walking stick and surveying Harry and Voldemort, the connected wands and golden web with mild surprise, said, "He was a real wizard, then? Killed me, he did… You fight him, boy…"

But another head was already emerging from the wand; the shadowy figure of Bertha Jorkins. Her voice echoing, she cried, "Hold on, Harry! Don't let go now!"

Something was wrong. Something was missing.

Voldemort's victims paced agitated around the inner walls of the web as another head began to grow from the tip of his wand, and this time Harry knew who it would be… knew, because the woman appearing was the one, he'd thought of more than any other tonight…

"My son," the voice of Lily Potter whispered, and her smile lit up some dim and dusty memory within Harry's mind – a much happier time, when both his parents were alive, "My beautiful boy. Your father's coming, hold on…"

So Harry did hold on, and he came… The smoky, shadowy figure of James Potter emerged from Voldemort's wand. When he spoke, Harry recognized his crooked grin from the mirror, "When the connection is broken, we will only linger for moments, but we will give you time… You must find your friends and return to the Cup, it will take you back to Hogwarts."

 _His friends._ And then, Harry realised what was missing – or rather, who.

Voldemort's eyes widened in understanding, "Where is he?" he shrieked, his face livid with fear, "Where's Perseus?"

"I'm right here."

It was impossible. Percy was dead, but there he was; sword in hand, the blade slick with blood. His expression blazed with fury, despite the Death Eaters' wands aimed at him. One arm was looped around Nico's shoulders, who was clutching his throat. There was no sign of the snake.

"Where's Nagini?" Voldemort hissed.

"She's alive," Percy said, "I injured her, but she escaped. She… she spoke to me."

 _He's a parseltongue._

But Harry didn't have time to dwell on the issue of Percy's heritage because, just then, his father whispered, "Now!"

He pulled the wand upwards with an almighty wrench and, sprinting down the hill toward his friends, screamed, "RUN!"

 **Guys, can you believe we're on 25 chapters? I've been thinking and I think this story will end around chapter 30 - but don't worry, I'm thinking about the sequel already! This chapter was SO hard to write, since so much is going on, but I hope you like it!**

 **11 reviews on chapter 23/24 in total! I honestly love all this feedback so much, it really makes me want to keep writing!**

 **unicorn horn powder - damn, you're smart! Hope you enjoyed :D**

 **aRTsyisAwesome - glad you're excited! I'm so happy you're enjoying the story! :)**

 **Okurdek - I'm so glad you're happy with how things worked out, keep reading! I always love reading your feedback!**

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 **poppitycorn29 - Glad you like the story! Sorry for any anxiety caused ;)**

 **Cooldude98 - I'm so happy you like the story, your review really made me smile! Happy binge-reading :D**

 **vapourtrailreads - some Voldy ass will be kicked next chapter, so keep reading! ;)**

 **Anonymous - it makes me so happy when I read reviews like your's! Keep reading and letting me know what you think! :)**

 **xros - I'm thinking Frank will show up in the sequel, so keep reading... And thanks for your review!**

 **Guest - I love Sabrina too! I binge-watched it in 2 days! Hope you're enjoying the story! :D**

 **EvilPieceOfSht - As always, I loved reading your review! Your excitement is infectious and really inspires me to keep writing. Yup, Voldemort has a grandson although Sally isn't Bellatrix's daughter. Keep letting me know what you think! :D**

 **As always, thanks for reading and if you haven't already, follow/favourite the story! Let me know what you think by leaving a review!**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**

 **PS - if you have any suggestions for the sequel, PM me! I have a basic plot idea but I'm still working on the details and I'd love to work in some your ideas :D**


	26. Chapter 26

Harry

"Get down!" Percy yelled.

Harry threw himself to the ground. A few feet away, his friends were sheltering behind Tom Riddle's marble grave as spells streaked over their heads. The tombstone crumbled as it was hit by a hex, raining rubble down on them. Percy tried to move but was thrown back, stunned.

"Wait," Nico gasped, one arm clasped around his side – Harry suspected he'd broken a few ribs, "I can hold them off."

"Nico, wait-" He was so weak – how could he possibly stop the Death Eaters?

But either Nico didn't hear him, or he didn't care; with a strangled yell, he drove his sword hilt-deep into the ground. Harry scrambled back as the earth gaped open, cracks radiating out from the point of impact. From deep below, skeletal hands clawed at the air. Gaunt creatures, the rags of fine clothes hanging off their bodies, dragged themselves to the surface and shambled towards the Death Eaters.

Nico's face shone with power – then he fainted.

Unfrozen, Percy caught his friend before he hit the ground and threw him over his shoulder, "Harry, the cup!"

"Stand aside," Voldemort shouted, "I will deal with these… _creatures!_ " His red eyes flamed in the darkness, his mouth curled into a smile – he was raising his wand -

"Accio!" Harry yelled, pointing his wand at the cup.

It soared through the air toward him, Harry grabbed Percy's elbow and caught it by the handle.

There was a jerk behind his navel and they sped away in a swirl of wind and colour, Voldemort's scream of fury now a distant whine behind them… They were going back…

Percy

Percy felt his knees hit the floor. Cold stone met his palms. They weren't at Hogwarts, so where were they?

His vision cleared. They were in some kind of temple, Nico unconscious on the marble floor beside him. Harry was on his feet, staring wide-eyed at the Cup still in his hands. Greek fire blazed in bronze braziers sending green light rippling eerily across the walls.

"Perseus Jackson, we meet again."

A raven-haired woman stepped out of the shadows, a reed torch in each hand. She wore a dark, sleeveless dress that rippled past her shoulders like a cascade of ink. Her jet black hair was pulled back in an ornate, high-set ponytail and her emerald eyes shimmered as she eyed Percy as one might consider a frog on the dissecting bench.

"Hecate."

Harry gaped, "Hecate?"

She swept past them, depositing her torches in each of the two braziers. In front of Percy, Harry fell to his knees. Reluctantly, he did the same.

"Harry Potter," she murmured. Her face was like a statue; ancient and beautiful, but cold, "My Chosen One."

Percy winced; he knew what it was like to be "chosen," by a goddess – and it wasn't fun.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, "I thought Voldemort-" _my grandfather_ "-defeated you."

Hecate's green eyes flashed, "That mortal sorcerer? Defeat me? No, Percy. It's true I abandoned my post after seeing what had become of the world I created, but Harry has shown me there is still some good amongst wizards, something worth nurturing."

"That's it?" he glared at her, "You endangered the camps because you were _fed up?_ "

"Percy-" Harry said warningly.

"It's alright, Harry," the goddess assured him, "Percy has done well in restoring my subjects' faith in me, I won't punish him for his impertinence tonight. I shall restore the Mist, and everything shall go back to how it was, but first I must return you to Hogwarts. I should warn you, Percy, if you and your demigod friends choose to remain a part of the wizarding world, your immunity to spells will fade. You will become a part of both worlds, and therefore vulnerable to either one."

He frowned, "Why would we stay?"

Harry looked down.

"There is a crossroads coming," Hecate said, her gaze growing distant, "For you and Mr Potter, both. You must decide how to proceed with the knowledge that has recently come to light," she met his eye and Percy knew exactly what _"knowledge,"_ she was talking about, "You are a dangerous individual, Percy Jackson. Eventually, you must choose a side. As for you, Harry Potter," he blinked, "You did well tonight but this won't be the last time you face Lord Voldemort. You know what is coming?"

He nodded slowly, fear creeping into his expression, "I think so, yes."

"Then I will send you back to your friends," she raised her arms, "Goodbye, my champions."

The room dissolved into silver light and Percy felt himself falling through the air. Then, his feet slammed into something solid and he was sent sprawling forward into the grass; the smell of it filled his nostrils. He could hear the crowd – their voices were everywhere, footsteps, screams – they were back…

Annabeth's voice - "Percy!"

He rolled onto his back, shock and exhaustion keeping him pinned to the ground. The memory of Hecate flickered like a dream in his mind, so all he could feel was the utter despair of what had happened in the graveyard. Voldemort's words echoed through his head…

 _Harry._ It took all the energy he had to turn his head ever so slightly to the side. Harry lay on his back beside him, his expression desolate. Tear tracks streaked his face as he clutched the Triwizard Trophy to his chest. Beyond him lay Nico, so pale he could've been dead but the gentle rise and fall of his chest assured Percy otherwise.

"Harry! _Harry!"_ Dumbledore was there, pulling Harry to his feet, checking him for injuries.

"Percy!" Annabeth's face swam above him. Her hand was warm on his cheek, "Oh my gods, what happened to you?"

"Voldemort," the words tasted bitter in his mouth, "He…"

"He's your grandfather," Harry finished for him. The two boys stared at eachother, the awful truth laid bare between them. Voldemort was the reason Harry didn't have any parents and Percy was his grandson – he wouldn't blame Harry if he hated him forever.

"My god…" a face Percy recognised as Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, appeared upside-down over him; it looked white, appalled, "You-Know-Who – a grandson?"

"Is Nico okay?" Will was there now, looking panicked, "Percy?"

"Give him some room!" Annabeth shouted.

"We'll have to question him, Dumbledore," Fudge was insisting loudly, "If he really is You-Know-Who's grandson-"

"Headmaster, di Angelo's hurt, he'll have to go to the hospital wing."

Dumbledore looked down on him, his expression grave, "Percy, wait here."

Nico was being carried away on a stretcher, Will hurrying after him. In the distance, Lou-Ellen was screaming his name. The scene flickered oddly before Percy's eyes. He tried to stand up but somehow ended up sitting on the wet grass, his knees pulled close to his chest. Annabeth wrapped her arms around him, "It'll be okay," she promised, "Everything will be okay."

"Where's Harry?" He wasn't there anymore. Percy craned his neck to look for him, but everything was blurred and misted.

"It's okay, Percy. He's with Professor Moody."

And then he remembered; he should've told Dumbledore straightaway, before blurting out that he was Voldemort's grandson.

"There's a Death Eater! There's a Death Eater at Hogwarts!"

"What?" He could see the cogs in Annabeth's brain turning as her face swam in and out of focus, "But, Harry-"

"We have to find him. Now."

She nodded grimly. He grabbed onto her shoulders and she hauled him onto his feet. Shadowy figures pressed in on them, but Annabeth shoved them out of the way. His stomach flipped as he stumbled after her, but he kept going, pushing weakly through the crowd, resisting the urge to curl up and vomit for the rest of his life.

Dumbledore was deep in conversation with Fudge, "-have to arrest him, Dumbledore. No other choice-" the Minister spotted them, "Where are you going? Jackson must stay here until I can interview him."

Annabeth spoke directly to the headmaster, "Harry's in danger. There's a traitor, here at Hogwarts."

Without a word, Dumbledore strode into the blackness of the night, gesturing for Snape and McGonagall to follow. The crowd parted before him like the Red Sea.

"Where do you think you're going?" Fudge caught Percy's arm as he moved to follow, "You're to blame for this – all of this! You kidnapped Harry Potter, you-"

"Don't touch him," Annabeth growled, her drakon-bone sword moving to under the Minister's chin, her eyes blazing.

He gulped, "I'm the Minister-"

"I don't care," she pushed past him, dragging Percy behind her.

Their friends were calling for them, but they didn't look back. Together, they hobbled up the lawn, past the lake, Percy leaning on Annabeth for support. They glimpsed the hem of Snape's cloak vanish around a door leading into the castle and hurried inside.

"Professors, wait!" Annabeth called. They'd reached the stairs now and Percy grabbed onto the banister for support, "We want to help!"

Dumbledore didn't stop or slow down as he said, "Percy, you must tell me – what exactly did Voldemort say about this traitor?"

"Just that he was inside the school," Percy's legs shook beneath him as he struggled to keep up, "And that- that he was his most faithful servant."

"Albus," McGonagall's mouth was puckered with worry, "What does it mean?"

Dumbledore opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by a sound, far above them - Clunk, clunk, clunk; Moody's wooden leg, climbing up the stairs.

"Hurry!" said Dumbledore and gestured for them to be silent.

Portraits were whipped into a frenzy as they passed, Percy caught snatches of whispered conversation – "Did you hear?" – "Potter, kidnapped?" – "That Jackson boy-"

They'd almost reached Moody's office when they head Harry yell from inside, "You're mad! You're mad!"

Dumbledore broke into a run, bursting through the door, wand in hand-

"Stupefy!"

Harry was cowering against the wall, face streaked with grime from the graveyard. Professor Moody had been thrown to the floor and Dumbledore towered over him, every line in his ancient face radiating cold, hard rage. His furious face was reflected in Moody's glass, as was McGonagall's, Snape's and Annabeth's but Percy had been reduced to a shadowy reflection in the face of the mirror.

"Come along, Potter," McGonagall murmured, reaching out to Harry who stared blankly back, shell-shocked, "Come along…"

"No."

"But Albus – look at him, he ought to – he's been through enough tonight…"

"Harry deserves to know how who put him through this ordeal tonight, as does Mr Jackson," Dumbledore interceded sharply, "Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery."

"It was Moody," Harry said disbelievingly, "But how-how can it have been him?"

"This is not Alastor Moody," Dumbledore said quietly, "The real Moody would not have removed you from my sight after what happened tonight. As soon as Percy told me about the traitor, I knew – and I followed."

Dumbledore bent over Moody's limp form and removed his hip flask and a set of keys from his robes. Then he turned to Professor McGonagall and Snape.

"Severus, please fetch me the strongest truth serum you possess and then go down to the kitchens and bring up the elf called Winky. Minerva, kindly go to Hagrid's hut where you will find a large, black dog in the pumpkin patch. Take him to my office, tell him I will be with him shortly and then come back here."

Percy found these instructions extremely peculiar but both McGonagall and Snape turned and left the office without a hint of confusion. Dumbledore walked over to a trunk with seven locks, fitted the first key into the lock and opened it. It contained a mass of spell books. He closed it, tried the second key and opened it again but this time it contained several broken sneakoscopes, some parchment and ink bottles and a silvery cloak. Astounded, Percy watched as Dumbledore fitted the third, fourth, fifth and sixth keys into their respective locks, reopening the trunk and each time revealing different contents. Finally, he tried the seventh key, opened the trunk and Percy let out a cry of amazement.

Huddled at the bottom of some kind of underground pit, fast asleep, thin and starved in appearance, was the real Professor Moody. His wooden leg was gone, his magical eye socket looked empty behind its lid and chunks of his grizzly hair was missing. Percy met Harry's eye, both equally thunderstruck.

Annabeth climbed into the trunk, dangling from her fingertips for a moment before dropping into the pit, landing lightly on her feet beside the sleeping Moody. She bent down and touched his neck, "He's alive, but he's freezing. Percy, pass me your cloak."

As Percy did what he was told, Dumbledore took the flask, opened it and turned it over. A thick, glutinous liquid splattered onto the flagstones.

"Polyjuice potion," Harry said immediately, flushing when Dumbledore gave him a knowing look, "Uh, I mean – Hermione told me about it. It lets you change your appearance, right?"

"Quite right, Harry," Dumbledore nodded, "Of course, he needed to keep the real Moody alive, so he could keep making the potion. But I think, in the excitement of tonight, our fake Moody might have forgotten to take it as frequently as he should have… on the hour… every hour… we shall see…"

Dumbledore pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down upon it, staring intently at the unconscious imposter. Annabeth clambered out of the trunk and threaded her fingers through Percy's. Across the room, Harry gave him a weak smile – a sign that maybe things weren't as irreparable as he'd first thought.

Then, before Percy's very eyes, the man on the floor began to change. The scars disappeared, the skin becoming smooth; the mangled nose became whole and began to shrink; the grizzled hair retreated into the scalp and turned the colour of straw. Next – Annabeth gave a sharp intake of breath – the magical eye popped out as a real eye replaced it and the wooden leg fell away with a loud _clunk,_ a normal leg growing in its place.

Percy stepped back from the man now lying on the floor – a pale-skinned, freckled man with a mop of pale hair. The man behind everything that had happened tonight.

"That's Mr Crouch's son," Harry said, dumbfounded, "but- how?"

There were hurried footsteps outside in the corridor. Snape had returned, Winky at his heels, and Professor McGonagall close behind.

"Master Barty!" filthy and dishevelled, Winky threw herself at the young man's chest, "You has killed him! You has killed the master's son!"

"He is not dead, Winky," Dumbledore said, "Simply stunned. Step aside, please. Severus, you have the truth potion?"

Winky remained on her knees, her trembling hands clamped firmly over her face, as Snape took a bottle of completely clear liquid and forced it down the imposter's throat.

"What's going on here?" Percy demanded, "Who is he?"

"Hush, Percy," said Dumbledore sternly, "All will be explained soon," he knelt before the man on the floor, so their faces were level, and asked quietly, "Can you hear me?"

The man's face twitched, "Yes," he muttered.

"What's your name?"

"Bartemius Crouch…" his eyelids flickered, "Junior."

"I would like you to tell us, how you came to be here. How did you escape from Azkaban?"

The man took a long, shuddering breath and began to speak; he explained how his mother had sacrificed her life to help his escape wizarding prison, and how his father had kept him hidden for years with the use of the Imperius curse. He told them how when a witch named Bertha Jorkins discovered him, Crouch – the Triwizard judge who attacked Will in the woods – put a charm on her that damaged her memory permanently. He admitted to killing his father in the woods that night and burying his body in front of Hagrid's cabin.

"And tonight?" Dumbledore asked.

"I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup into the maze before dinner. Turned it into a portkey. My master needed Harry Potter to come back to life, see, and he wanted to meet his grandson," he pointed a trembling finger at Percy, "You. You will serve him, as I have done, and, like me, you will be rewarded beyond the dreams of wizards."

Percy clutched Annabeth's hand, "I'll never serve him. Not after tonight. Not after he tried to kill my friends."

"You'll see," an insane smile lit up his features as his head drooped onto his shoulder, "You'll see…"

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter, guys! I'm really loving writing at the moment but I'm not sure about the quality of this one so let me know what you think! I love reading all your feedback, it makes me so happy and I honestly can't believe so many of you like my writing!**

 **I'm super excited for the sequel and I've already started writing the first chapter - PM me any ideas/anything you want to see happen. The title I'm currently working with is Percy Jackson, Rise of Voldemort - let me know what you think!**

 **Guest - Percy will definitely be facing stigma because of his heritage. You'll see a lot of that in the next few chapters. The sequel will really be about him learning to balance out this darker part of himself he's always had but never understood and also redeeming himself in the eyes of the wizards (although not everyone will hate him!) Keep reading! :)**

 **TheLoaderBoughtTheFarm - I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I spent a lot of time on the graveyard chapters so I'm really happy you liked that part! :D**

 **Anonymous - I'm so happy you loved the chapter! If I'm honest, you're part of the reason I updated so quickly - I don't want to interrupt your sleep patterns too much by keeping you waiting! ;D**

 **Cooldue98 - as always, thanks for your review - I always love reading your feedback! "What will the sequel be like?" - hopefully, cool! :)**

 **unicorn horn powder - Thanks for such lovely feedback! The sequel will be released a few weeks after this story finishes and will be set during OOTP. PM me any ideas you have!**

 **aRTsyisAwesome - you have no idea how great I feel when you love a chapter! Your feedback's always brilliant, thank you!**

 **heyrandomppl29 - so happy you loved the chapter! I'm not planning on abandoning this story anytime soon - I love writing it too much!**

 **Thanks as always for reading and for all your support!**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	27. Chapter 27

Percy POV

"You should never have brought it inside the castle!"

Percy woke up in the dimly-lit Hospital Wing, Annabeth curled up, asleep, at his side. It was still night and he felt sure he couldn't have been sleeping very long. In the bed next to him, Nico was still unconscious while Will and Hazel dozed in armchairs nearby. At the other end of the room, Harry's bed was surrounded by the Weasleys, whispering so as not to wake the patients.

"They'll wake Harry if they don't shut up!"

"That's Minerva McGonagall's voice, isn't it? And the Minister's?"

Percy heard shouting from outside, "When Dumbledore finds out-"

The hospital doors burst open and Percy blinked in the sudden, painful light. Peering over the top of his covers, he saw Fudge striding up the ward, McGonagall and Snape at his heels.

"Where's Dumbledore?" the Minister demanded.

Mrs Weasley flushed angrily, "He's not here! And this is a hospital wing, Minister, I think you'd better-"

But just then, the shadow of Dumbledore appeared at the door, silhouetted in the light from the hallway.

"Minerva?" he said sharply, "I thought I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch?"

"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, headmaster!" she shrieked, her cheeks mottled with angry colour, "The Minister made sure of that!"

"Really, Minerva-"

"Silence, Cornelius!" At Dumbledore's command, the squabbling pair fell quiet, "What is going on?"

Snape stepped forward, his expression unreadable, "When we told Mr Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events, he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a Dementor from Azkaban to accompany him while questioning the suspect-"

"I told him you would not approve!" Professor McGonagall interrupted furiously, "I told him you would never allow Dementors to set foot within the castle, but-"

"My dear woman!" Fudge roared, "As Minister for Magic, it is my decision whether or not I bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous-"

But McGonagall's voice drowned Fudge's.

"As soon as that-that thing," she screamed, shuddering at the memory, "entered the room, it swooped down on Crouch and- and-"

Percy felt a chill run down his spine. He'd never met a Dementor, but the pallor of McGonagall's face told him everything he needed to know.

"Needless to say, Crouch did not survive," Snape said, in a low voice.

"He's dead?"

Percy didn't know what compelled him to speak, just that he couldn't hide in the dark any longer. He sat up in his bed, staring round at the adults, watching alarm – and, was it possible, fear? – flicker across their faces.

"Crouch is dead?" he repeated his question.

Fudge coughed uncomfortably, "Regrettably, yes – but by all accounts, he is no loss. He seems to have been responsible for several deaths!"

"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius," Dumbledore explained slowly, as though speaking to a child, "He cannot give evidence as to why he killed those people."

"Why he killed them?" blustered the Minister, "Why, he was mad! He seems to believe he was acting on You-Know-Who's instructions the entire time!"

"He _was_ acting on Voldemort's instructions!" Percy said, his fists clenching in his lap. At his side, Annabeth stirred, "I saw him tonight!"

"Don't get me started on tonight," Fudge said angrily, "Clearly, this was some plot of yours' to gain media attention, fearmongering so desperate people would turn to your so-called goddess for help! Calling yourself You-Know-Who's heir-"

"You think I'm proud of that?"

Annabeth rubbed her eyes blearily, "Percy?" she yawned, "What's going on?"

"Cornelius," Dumbledore implored, "I beg of you to see reason. Mr Jackson is telling the truth. As unfortunate as it is, Voldemort is Percy's grandfather and he has been restored to his body. You must-"

"You will not tell me what I _must_ do, Dumbledore!" Fudge exploded, "I am the Minster of Magic, not you!"

"Cornelius-"

"He's not back! He-he can't be!"

Dumbledore seemed to age several years. He sighed deeply, his brow furrowing, "If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this," he said, "then we have reached a parting of ways. You must act as you see fit, and I… I will act as I see fit."

Dumbledore's voice carried no hint of threat, but Fudge staggered back as though he'd been punched, "Dumbledore, if you're going to work against me-"

"The only one against whom I intend to work," Dumbledore spoke softly, "is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, then we remain on the same side."

Fudge seemed to have no answer to this. He crammed his bowler hat on his head and stalked out of the room without another word, slamming the door behind him.

The moment he had disappeared, Dumbledore turned to look at Mrs Weasley, "Molly, I trust I can count on you and Arthur?"

"Of course," she replied resolutely, though she was white to the lips. Then, Dumbledore, turned his piercing gaze on Percy.

"And you?" he said, "What will you chose?"

Annabeth pursed her lips but remained silent. The look in her eye said it was Percy's choice, she would support him no matter what, but what did he want? Voldemort – his grandfather – had caused all this damage, but Percy didn't have anything to do with it. He had a responsibility… to Annabeth, to his mum, to the camps. He couldn't handle another world riding on his shoulders, he didn't know how much more weight he could handle before he collapsed – and he couldn't do that to the people he loved.

Athena's words rang through his head, _"Your loyalty will be your doom…"_

 _Not this time,_ he thought.

"Sorry," he said, "I won't fight against you, but I can't fight with you. I'm going home."

Harry's POV

 **Beware the Heir; Perseus Jackson is Claiming the Mantle of Dark Lord for Himself.**

Harry scrunched up the article in his fist. It had been two weeks since the Third Task and Voldemort's return and he was at the Leaving Feast, only half-listening to Ron and Hermione discuss their summer plans. Up and down the table, golden platters, heaped with food, gleamed in the candlelight, but Harry couldn't eat. Voldemort's scarlet gaze burned in his mind and all he could think about was that everything was about to change.

"Hey, Harry!"

Startled, he looked up. Lou Ellen, the Ravenclaw demigod, was standing over him, her dark hair pulled into two braids on either side of her face. There was a familiar glint in her green eyes that Harry couldn't quite place.

"Hey," he replied, hoping he wasn't dripping gravy down his front.

"I just wanted to say thank you," she said, sliding onto the bench next to him, "You know, for helping bring back my mom."

He blinked. Of course – Lou Ellen reminded him of her mother, Hecate.

"Ehm, it's no problem – I mean, she helped me, so-"

She smirked, "Anyway, thanks," and then she kissed him on the cheek before sauntering back over to the Ravenclaw table, throwing him one last, teasing glance over her shoulder.

Harry's cheeks flamed. Ron snickered.

"Don't go getting attached," Hermione reminded him, "They're leaving tomorrow."

His heart sank, his gaze drifting toward the end of the table where Percy sat, laughing with his friends. He knew time was running out to say goodbye – tomorrow, he'd return to Privet Drive and the demigods would go back to America – but how could he put into words what they'd been through?

"Attention, students," Harry's thoughts were interrupted by Professor Dumbledore raising a hand for silence. The Great Hall which, fuelled by rumours and gossip, had been particularly noisy grew quiet, "I would like to begin this evening's festivities with a toast," he raised his goblet, "to friendship, new and old!"

Benches scraped as students scrambled to their feet, echoing in one, low voice, "to friendship!" the cheer was rather more half-hearted than it might've been a few weeks ago, many heads turning to glare in Percy's direction.

"Another year over," Dumbledore continued, once everyone was settled back in their seats, "Tomorrow, our friends will return home but the bonds we have made will last," his gaze drifted from Madame Maxine and Hagrid, to Fleur and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to the demigods gathered at Gryffindor table, "Although I fear – and never have I so wished to be wrong – that they will be tested. The Ministry would rather me not tell you this, but I feel it is my duty to inform you that Lord Voldemort has returned."

Barely-veiled terror gripped the Hall. Harry met Percy's gaze and quickly looked away.

"Of course, there are those who already know this; Harry Potter, Perseus Jackson and Nico di Angelo have faced Voldemort, and all shown immense bravery," Dumbledore raised his cup, "For that, I commend them."

Someone began clapping slowly and the applause swept across the Hall, people frowning and muttering, "Is it true?" "I thought it was just a rumour," "I heard Percy had something to do it…" The demigod in question was staring red-cheeked at the table. Nico was nowhere to be seen.

Through the many, awe-struck faces, Harry caught a glimpse of Malfoy and his goons sitting, stony-faced, at the Slytherin table. Their hands remained resolutely in their laps.

Once the applause had died down, Dumbledore lowered his glass and began again, in a more serious tone, "Indeed, our friends have taught us true courage. Soon, the time will come when he each have to choose between doing what is right and what is easy," maybe it was Harry's imagination, but he seemed to look directly at Percy, "Let us hope that we all make the right choice."

Nico

Nico wandered the halls of Hogwarts, alone. Will and Hazel had offered to skip the Leaving Feast with him, but he needed a moment by himself to think. He'd been released from the hospital wing a few days ago, with newly-mended ribs and a heavy heart. Madame Pomfrey's potions had strengthened him but he knew it would be a while before he could shadow-travel again.

Tomorrow, they were leaving. He wished he could say he was glad, but the truth was his year at Hogwarts was the longest he'd stayed anywhere since Westover Hall. His first home since Bianca. Camp had come close – after meeting Will, he'd been starting to think he could have a place there – but then it was destroyed.

"Nico?"

He started, his hand going for his sword before registering Professor Dumbledore, watching him from the shadows of an archway. He smiled, and, after a moment, Nico smiled back.

"I thought we might talk?" the Headmaster said. Surprised, Nico nodded.

They set off at a leisurely pace down the hall, silence lingering between them. Finally, Dumbledore said, "I've had my suspicions about you for a while, you know."

Nico's throat went dry. He knew exactly what the Headmaster was talking about – it was a question that had been worming it's way into his thoughts recently, tainting his final days at Hogwarts.

 _Am I wizard?_

"There was a girl here in the 1940s," Dumbledore said quietly, "At first, I thought she was a distant relative of yours…"

"Bianca."

Behind his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore's eyes widened in mild surprise, "Yes, that was her name."

"She was my sister," Nico whispered, ignoring the lump that forced it's way into his throat at the mention of her name.

"I suspected you might have been closer than I initially thought," Dumbledore admitted, "Might I ask how this is possible?"

Nico stopped abruptly. They were by a window overlooking the Great Lake, the mountains a blurred shadow on the horizon. The sunset swam before his eyes and be blinked. Hard. And then he did something he never thought he'd do to someone besides his closest friends… he talked.

Dumbledore was a good listener, waiting with solemn patience as Nico stumbled over the story – his mother's death, the Casino, Westover, Bianca joining the hunt, Bianca going on the quest with Percy and dying… He didn't criticise as Nico relived his journey through the maze with the ghost of Midas on a desperate quest for revenge, or when he explained how he tricked Percy into going to the Underworld. When he spoke about Tartarus, a single tear slid silently down Nico's cheek and the headmaster laid a hand on his shoulder. That was when he stopped.

"Uh – sorry," he muttered, brushing away the tear.

"Nico," Dumbledore seemed to look straight through him, as though he wasn't seeing Hogwarts but another place, in another time… "I too know what it is like to lose a sister. I am truly sorry."

"It was a long time ago," he said brusquely.

"But it still hurts, doesn't it?" the headmaster smiled sadly, "I thought… before you left, I thought I might give you this…"

He handed Nico a framed, black-and-white picture. It was an old school photograph; hundreds of students lined up neatly on what looked like the Quidditch Pitch, all smiling and waving, and there, in the second row, was Bianca. Eleven years old, she was in Gryffindor robes like the ones he was wearing right now, her face shining with happiness.

"Thank you," he whispered hoarsely, and he truly meant it.

Because he was starting to realise that Bianca was with him, not resurrected or as a ghost, but a part of him that he'd never really be without.

Harry

It seemed to Harry that half of Hogwarts had flocked to the lawn to watch the demigods' departure. Cho Chang was in tears as she hugged Chiara and Lou Ellen fiercely on the front steps of the school. Hermione was blushing furiously after Paolo kissed her flamboyantly on both cheeks and Annabeth was looking rather put out as she watched Fleur Delacour embrace Percy, thanking him fervently and not for the first time for saving Gabrielle in the Second Task.

Hazel checked her watch, "Our ride should be here any minute."

"How are you getting back?" Ron asked curiously.

A mysterious smile tugged at Nico's lips, "You'll see," the younger boy looked happier than Harry had ever seen him, standing between his boyfriend and sister.

Percy wandered over and threw an arm around Annabeth's shoulders, huffing, "I can't wait to get back to camp!"

Harry eyed him nervously. He knew it was now or never, this was his last chance to say goodbye and he couldn't just ignore the year of friendship between them, "Can I talk to you?" he asked as casually as he could manage.

"Uh…" Annabeth nodded her encouragement, "Sure."

They walked a little past the crowds, so they were standing in the shadow of the school. In the distance, the first carriages trundled towards Hogsmeade station.

Percy swallowed, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I just wanted to apologise for acting weirdly these last few weeks," Harry began, the words thankfully coming easier than he'd expected, "And I hope you know I don't blame you for anything Voldemort's done. You're a great person and… well, I'm glad you're my friend.

For a horrible moment, Harry thought Percy might be offended but then his face finally broke into a huge grin of relief, "Thanks!" he beamed and held up a fist, "So… bros?"

Harry, too, found himself beginning to smile as he bumped Percy's fist, "Bros!"

To his relief, before the moment could get too awkward, the crowd burst into shrieks of astonishment and fear. "Never a quiet moment, huh?" Percy smirked, and together they ran back down the hill to see what was going on.

Barely a foot from where the demigods were standing, the lawn had fractured, cracking wide open to reveal an endless pit beneath the grounds. In the shocked silence that followed, Harry heard a sound he'd never heard at Hogwarts before; the unmistakeable noise of a car engine, resonating from deep beneath their feet.

Percy and Harry fought their way through the crowd toward their friends. "Nico!" Percy was grinning from ear to ear, "You didn't…"

"Didn't what?" Hermione's voice was an octave higher than usual. "Nico, what did you do?"

"Jules-Albert?" Annabeth asked, simply.

"Who's Jules-Albert!? I-"

All of a sudden, the ground spat out a large, yellow school bus and leaning out of the driver's side window, apparently, was Jules-Albert. "Inferius!" Cho screamed, and Nico rolled his eyes.

"Actually, he's a zombie and he's my chauffeur."

The bus was an even stranger sight that the undead to those from wizarding families and the crowd scrambled back as the door flew open. Unperturbed, the demigods began piling in. Percy, Annabeth, Nico and Will lingered back.

"So," Percy said seriously, "I guess this is goodbye…"

As Harry looked round at the people who he'd come to know as friends, he knew only one thing; this wasn't the end, "We'll see eachother again," he said firmly.

Hermione sniffled, "Do you think?"

"Yeah," Harry said, "I do."

"You're probably right," said Percy, "I've got this feeling – I can't explain it – that something's coming. Something big."

Nico's zombie driver beeped the horn. Damien leaned out of the window, "You guys coming or what?"

Hermione threw her arms around each of the demigods in turn, "Bye, guys!"

"See you, Harry," Percy said, clapping him on the back, "Bye, Ron! Bye, Hermione!"

"Keep in touch."

"Bye!"

"See ya."

They clambered inside the bus, the doors creaked shut and the whole vehicle shuddered as the engine started. Harry glimpsed his friends waving from the backseat before the bus jolted forward and disappeared into the shadows of the Forbidden Forest.

The three friends stood together on the hill, watching the light from the sunrise seep slowly across the mountains. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as they ran down the drive, toward the waiting carriages and, in Harry's case, another agonising summer at Privet Drive. Percy was right, something was coming… and he would have to face it when it did.

He was just glad he wouldn't have to face it alone.

 **The End**

 **I'm sorry the story's a few chapters shorter than I initially said it would be but it worked better this way. The next chapter is an A/N as well as a preview of the sequel (So check it out!). I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the story as a whole! Please review and let me know what you think of anything and everything to do with the story, what you'd like to see in the sequel etc. - I love reading your feedback!**

 **Cooldude98 - I'm glad you're planning on checking out the sequel! As for the structure, I'm planning on following JK's plot with my own twists so yes, the story will follow Percy and co. through OOTP, HBP and DH! Hope to hear more of your great feedback in the future :D**

 **b31nobody - In terms of how the Ministry will handle everything with Percy, it will be similar to how Harry is treated in OOTP (trying to discredit him, cover it up etc.) I'm so happy you liked the chapter! I hope to read more reviews from you in the sequel!**

 **aRTsyisAwesome - Thank you for such a lovely, detailed review! I understand you were hoping for the story to go beyond the end of term - the sequel currently starts several weeks before the start of September so a lot of the loose ends will be tied up at the start of the next story! As always, I loved reading your feedback and I hope to hear more from you in the future! :D**

 **unicorn horn powder - oh, just you wait... ;)**

 **\- I'm so happy you liked to chapter! As for the sequel, not all of Percy's friends will be with him but he will be attending Hogwarts with Annabeth, Nico and Will. I hope this is okay for you! :)**

 **xros - Glad you like the story! I don't about "2x" better but I'm always working on improving my writing so hopefully you'll enjoy it even more! :D**

 **sassy973 - so happy you're enjoying the story! Keep reading and letting me know what you think in the future!**

 **Anonymous - I'd really like to thank you for being so supportive of this story! Keep reading (and get some sleep! ;D)**

 **Tokyo Ghoul For Life - hope you enjoyed the end of the story! Stay tuned for the sequel! :)**

 **vapourtrailreads - thank you for always leaving such excited reviews! Your enthusiasm makes me smile! :D**

 **Okurdek - don't really know how to respond to "ohhhh" but I'll take it as a compliment! Thanks for reviewing again - I really love reading all your feedback! :D**

 **dartoso - I won't be continuing this story as it's over, but you should check out the sequel when it's up! Thanks for your review!**

 **Big thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favourited! Have a great day/night wherever you are!**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	28. AN and Preview

**Guys, this isn't a chapter but there will be a preview of the sequel at the end so keep reading!**

 **I just wanted to take the time to truly thank everyone for their continued support of the story. I never thought so many people would read my writing, let alone enjoy it! But 27 chapters, 133 reviews, 136 followers and 104 favourites in, I've fallen in love with writing and it's all thanks to you guys! Your feedback always makes me smile and I feel like this is as much you guys' story as mine - and I can honestly say I love writing it for you!**

 **The sequel will probably come out around Christmas (Sorry if this feels like a long wait but I want to make sure it's my best work!) Feel free to PM me with any questions you have about the story. I've already started working on it and I can't wait to share it with you guys!**

 **This is a short preview of the sequel, titled Percy Jackson, Rise of Voldemort... It's a first draft so let me know if you have any suggestions for how to improve it!**

Annabeth's POV

Camp Half-Blood, August 18th; the sun was shining, birdsong mingled with the usual battle cries and it was Percy's eighteenth birthday.

Despite the recent revelation that not only one but both of Percy's grandfathers were bloodthirsty mass murderers, Annabeth was determined that he would have a nice, _normal_ day.

He wasn't so sure.

But since what Annabeth wanted usually went, the entire camp had gathered on the beach to celebrate. They'd been busy all summer, rebuilding and readjusting to the Mist and everyone was eager for some fun. The party wasn't ending any time soon - as the tide came in, it circled around the demigods leaving a patch of dry sand ringed by white surf. Benefits of her boyfriend being a son of Poseidon, Annabeth thought with a grin.

 _"Happy Birthday to you… Happy Birthday to you…"_

Percy covered her hand with his in the sand, "Do you remember our first kiss?"

 _"You look like a minotaur…"_

She smirked, "How could I forget?"

Their lips hovered an inch apart and she could smell the birthday cake on his breath.

 _"And you smell like one too!"_

"If I remember correctly, it went something like this…" his mouth brushed hers, but he jerked back as someone screamed.

"Look!"

 **It's not much but I hope you enjoyed! To stay tuned for the sequel, you can either follow my account or this story (I will post an update here when it's out!)** **In the mean time I'm thinking about posting some one shots (any suggestions? PM me!)**

 **Lileaf, xoxo**


	29. Sequel?

The sequel is out now! It's on my account as Percy Jackson, Rise of Voldemort. Please check it out and I hope you enjoy!

Lileaf, xoxo


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